In veteran director Mehrjui's latest film, Leila, a newlywed, learns that she will never be able to have children. This is devastating news in a culture in which a woman's value depends largely on her ability to produce a male heir. Yet when Leila confesses to her husband Reza, he is untroubled by the news, so deeply in love is he-a touching moment, and also a clear sign to Iranian audiences that women are valuable in and of themselves. Then Reza's autocratic mother intervenes, insisting that her son take a second wife who can bear him a child. This crystalline film is eloquent in recording the heartbreak that follows.