FRAN (48), born a female, has chosen to lead the life of a man, earning the respect of the community as a man among men, according to the ancient Albanian custom of Sworn Virgins. On daily basis, she works as a bus driver and struggles to make a living on the unregulated and semi-illegal route that connects her small town with the main city.
Competition is fierce, and Fran has to fight in order to provide for her ailing father, ANTON (85), and her niece ZANA (11), that she is raising, ever since Zana’s father (and Fran’s brother) abandoned her when he left for Italy after Zana’s mother died. Fran is tough with the young girl leaping into adolescence, enforcing all set of rules upon her.
One summer Sunday, Zana defying Frans orders, has gone out and playing with her friends on the bridge over the river. While, on the way back from the city with the minibus loaded with passengers, Fran encounters a group of young environmentalists who have staged a sit-in-protest, blocking the passage for the construction trucks that dump the debris in the river. As the standoff between protesters and the frustrated truck drivers escalates to a boiling point and it is about to get violent, Fran resolves to drive the minibus through, and break up the confrontation before it gets out of hand.
Panicked from Fran's arrival in the town, Zana slips on the bridge and falls onto a pile of construction debris dumped on the river. It is Fran, who jumps on the river and pulls Zana out covered in blood, and drives full speed taking Zana to the emergency room almost lifeless. Although doctors have no hope for Zana, Fran doesn’t give up on Zana until she comes back to life. In the following days, Fran scrambles to attend to Zana, as she fights for her life. While Zana’s father, Adrian, seeks to keep in touch by calling from Italy and sending gifts, Fran is the one who wakes up early and goes to bed late, struggling to keep up with Zana’s needs, on top of her daily efforts to hold onto the hard-to-maintain bus route and care for her ailing father at home. They spend more time together than ever before and gradually develop a close and special bond.
Vulnerable and about to enter puberty, Zana sees Fran not only as her savior but as her role model. And on the other side, she opens the window to the feminine world, forcing Fran to explore feelings that have been suppressed for so long. Through this newfound closeness, Fran rediscovers her own lost femininity and gradually softens up. Soon, Fran is not just Zana’s caretaker but fills the place of the mother that the young girl longs for.
But exploring motherhood is not easy - pass for Fran, as it clashes with her well respected “sworn virgin” status and it means she has to embark on a path full of sacrifices.
The death of the elder Anton finally brings back home Zana’s estranged father Adrian. Although in the beginning, she dreamed of joining her father abroad, Zana has changed a lot. Father and daughter know very little of each other, while Fran and Zana have strongly bonded together. After the funeral, Adrian wants to take Zana with him to Italy, which would leave Fran all alone. Fran’s heart is shattered and she resists. Zana vehemently refuses her father’s request and chooses to stay with Fran.
Fran is happy, but deep within, Fran senses that Zana has grown up and that it is best for the young girl to move on with her life and seek better opportunities in the world. Zana made her choice... and now is it upon Fran to choose between the need to keep the child close, or give the young girl wings - just like a real mother would.