In a quiet village, a young woman is pushed by her grandmother to apply for a job opportunity on a new golf estate being developed in the mountains. However, when she learns that the estate will be built over her estranged grandfather's rooibos tea lands, she is confronted with a difficult choice.

An elderly goat herder falls victim to a scam promising long-awaited reparations for her father's WWII service. Structured as a series of recurring visual 'variations', Variations on a Theme is a portrait of endurance and loss.