While a policeman is investigating the discovery of the remains of an apparent murder victim, a single mother is struggling to get her daughter into school. Presented at the Shanghai Film Festival, Within is a thriller that paints a poignant portrait of a China where social injustice determines a child’s future.

Li Jie, a lawyer, is taking divorce proceedings to try to get custody of her daughter. As she is working hard to earn a better life for her daughter, she hires a baby sitter, Sun Fang, to watch her child. One day, Li comes home only to find her child and Sun have disappeared. Unfortunately, Li is suspected by both her family and the police, and must lean on herself to trace Sun alone.

A woman who lost her child and divorced her husband continues to complete her son’s unfinished translation work.

Lynn has been living away from her husband Kenji and daughter, enjoying a pseudo-single life in China. In pursuit of freedom, she dreams of building a house in her hometown, now a burgeoning tourist hub. She works closely with Long, a married colleague, and their growing mutual attraction complicates her plans. Facing gender biases and local bureaucracy, Lynn strikes a land deal, causing conflicts between the village councilor and his divorced daughter. As her house nears completion, Lynn realises it has come at the cost of estrangement from her husband, daughter, and even herself.