In the remote mountains of Tibet, a teenage girl must choose between supporting her family after her father's political imprisonment or joining a group of oppressed nuns on their journey to freedom.

Sixteen-year-old Pema lives in the remote mountains of Tibet. For generations her family has farmed their barley fields in peace. But when Pema's father is taken away by the Chinese authorities, her world is shattered. A Buddhist nun from the local nunnery walks into Pema's life and invites her to join a group of locals escaping persecution by walking over the Himalayas, into India. Pema is torn: can she leave her mother, grandmother and younger siblings at this time of crisis? Has she the right, or the courage, to join her friend and seek a new life for herself? As Pema struggles with her dilemma, there is no news about her imprisoned father. The clock is ticking, for everyone. Told through the eyes of a teenage girl, Barley Fields On The Other Side Of The Mountain is a film about the price of freedom, and who pays it. Shot entirely on location in the Himalayas with a non-professional cast, it is directed by a Chinese filmmaker determined to give a voice to the oppressed of Tibet through the story about the love of parents for their children.—Tian Tsering