Plot
An Iranian physician, Sayed Bozorg "Moody" Mahmoody (Molina) desires to visit his family in Iran and asks his American wife, Betty (Field) and their daughter Mahtob to join him, as they have never met Betty or Mahtob. However, after spending two weeks in Iran, Moody reveals that he has been fired from the clinic for racial reasons and wishes for them to stay in Iran. Betty disagrees, and Moody suddenly becomes domineering and violent, taking advantage of the Islamic Laws to torment Betty any time she disagrees with him, and preventing her from leaving the house and using the telephone. Betty briefly manages to visit the American Interests Division of the Swiss Embassy, but she is told that she has effectively been stripped of her American citizenship status and is now an Iranian citizen for marrying an Iranian.
Knowing that her chances of escaping are limited, Betty plays the part of devout Muslim wife to gain Moody and his family's trust. During a trip to the market, a sympathetic shopkeeper overhears her speaking with the Embassy on the telephone and puts her in contact with a friendly smuggler, Hossein (Seth), who offers Betty and Mahtob safe passage through the Persian Gulf. Due to the Iran-Iraq war, the Gulf becomes too dangerous, so Hossein books a flight back to America for Betty and Mahtob. However, Betty receives word that her father is critically ill and may die soon. Moody, who by now trusts Betty fully, approves her returning to see him, but will not let her take Mahtob. Furthermore, Moody books a flight for Betty a few days before the one scheduled by Hossein, which only complicates things more.
Finally, the night before Betty's flight to America, Moody receives a call from his clinic requesting him to return for emergency treatment. As this may be her last chance to escape with Mahtob, Betty feigns going out with Mahtob to get some presents for her father and meets up with Hossein and his sister. Under Hossein's advice, Betty calls Moody and pretends to agree to meet him with a lawyer the next day so as to stall him. Hossein sends Betty and Mahtob off with the smugglers, and using fake IDs and documents, make their way past the checkpoints. Despite the difficult journey, in which one smuggler demands Betty's jewellery as payment and later attempts to rape her, only to be sent away by the other smuggler, Betty and Mahtob are finally dropped off in Turkey, the remaining smuggler returning their things to them as a sign of apology. Weary from the long trip, Betty and Mahtob see the American Embassy in the distance.
Read more about this topic: Not Without My Daughter
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