 Shahrbanoo is the story of an American woman s encounter and growing friendship with a traditional Muslim family living in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Tehran, Iran. When Melissa, a liberal American woman, travels to Tehran to visit her new husband s family there, she befriends their housekeeper, Shahrbanoo. Without her own family s knowledge, Shahrbanoo has been moonlighting as Melissa s mother-in-law s housekeeper for more than a quarter of a century. Shahrbanoo invites Melissa - and her filmmaker husband, Hamid, with camera in tow - to a family gathering where she is treated to an intense cultural exchange involving subjects ranging from religion to relationships, from a woman s place in society to American foreign policy. At the center of the film, however, is the close relationship that develops between Melissa and Shahrbanoo. Their friendship transcends stereotypes and offers a heart-warming testimony to the hidden bonds that can bring people together in spite of vast cultural differences.