The Heavenly Earth | Zamīn-i āsimānī | زمین آسمانی

Mohammad Ali Najafi plans to create a film centered around the lives of Ibrahim, Hajar, and Ismail. To bring this project to life, he invites Dariush Arjamand from Mashhad to portray the role of Ibrahim. After selecting a student for the character of Ismael, they set out to find the ideal person to portray Hagar.

Leila Khalili, who has a background in philosophy and literature and has heard about the film production process, approaches Najafi expressing her interest in playing the role of Hagar. However, Leila lives with her elderly grandmother, and this decision causes her some concern.

Auditions for the actors commence, with Najafi stressing the need for extraordinary performances. Leila successfully makes it through the audition process, and Najafi instructs the group to prepare for a pilgrimage to Mecca.

During this time, a young relative of Leila, Narges Ebrahimi, who suffers from a mysterious illness, moves from Mashhad to Tehran to live with Leila and her grandmother. With Leila’s help, Narges is admitted to a hospital. Despite her rigorous training, Leila spends the majority of her time at the hospital, caring for Narges.

At a later point, Leila embarks on a journey to Mecca with the group. After the Hajj ceremony, they return to Iran, and the initial scenes of the film are filmed with Leila and Dariush portraying the roles of Hagar and Ibrahim in a barren desert without water or vegetation.