Plot
In 1991, in the wake of the Croatian War of Independence, Jelena and Ivan are planning their flight from their home in the Hinterland to Zagreb while at a local beach. Jelena's abusive brother Saša assaults her during dinner for being in a relationship with a Croat at a time when a war between the two ethnic groups is imminent. Ivan's widowed father supports his decision to leave with Jelena, albeit hesitantly, due to Ivan's grandmother's dementia. While Saša is away, Jelena's widowed mother helps her leave. Saša, however, catches up with her and forces her into his car; Ivan runs after them. During the ride, Jelena jumps out of the car, and while Saša is trying to help her regain consciousness, she spits in his face. Saša spots Ivan approaching from a distance and drives on with Jelena to escape him. The car enters territory held by the Serb rebels, who do not let Ivan through. Ivan, a trumpeter, plays his instrument in front of them. Hearing him from their home, Saša comes to him and urges him to go home. Ivan pushes Saša to the ground, and one of the rebels shoots him. When Jelena arrives, she cries over Ivan's dead body and stares at the shocked Saša, who has yet to get up from where he was pushed.
In 2001, returning refugees Nataša Jelić and her mother Zorka return to their Hinterland home, finding it destroyed in Operation Storm. Zorka hires a local Croat handyman, Ante, to renovate the house. While Zorka is cordial with Ante, Nataša avoids him, holding a grudge against Croats for killing her brother Dražen during the operation. Zorka and Nataša argue over Nataša's treatment of Ante, during which Nataša accuses Zorka of forgetting who killed her son. When Ante helps Zorka treat a wound she sustained while chopping wood, Nataša grows warmer toward him. She invites him to join her on the beach, where she remarks on Dražen's death, making Ante feel blamed. Upset, he reveals that his father was killed by Serbs, leaving his mother mentally ill, yet he does not blame Nataša for it. The following day, when he announces that the work is done, they have passionate sex, after which Nataša grows cold again. When Zorka pays him, he refuses the money, stating that they need it more as returnees.
In 2011, on his way from Zagreb to Split, Luka stops in his Hinterland home village. He visits his parents, and the three have a vague conversation in which Luka feels guilty about something he did and his father blames his mother for being glad about what Luka did. Lying to his parents and friends, he goes to visit his former lover Marija. The guilt-ridden Luka tries to apologize to her, but Marija is resolute. She reveals that Luka's mother opposed their romance because of her Serb ethnicity. It is revealed that the two have a baby son, whom Marija allows Luka to see briefly before making him leave. At a local party, the intoxicated Luka hooks up with a hitchhiker whom he and his friend Ivno picked up on their way from Zagreb. They spot a group of partygoers running to the beach for a skinny dip and join them. In the water, Luka hallucinates Marija, and when he emerges, he rejects the hitchhiker and returns to Marija's place. When he knocks, she refuses to answer but changes her mind when she sees him sulking on her front steps. She joins him and lets him rest his head on her shoulder, but eventually goes back inside, leaving him outside.
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