Focusing on a 2001 event in Cairo when a group of gay men was arrested and jailed because of their sexual orientation, the film explains how complicated the topic of "coming out" in some societies is. The documentary opens with one of the Cairo 52 defendants, Ashraf Zanati, who was tortured, humiliated, beaten, and forced to spend 13 months in prison. In the film he provides a powerful testimony that can summarize the film’s argument: “My sexuality is my own sexuality. It doesn’t belong to anybody. Not to my government, not to my brother, my sister, my family.” The film additionally delves into the experiences of gay, lesbian, and transgender people living in places ranging from Vietnam to Pakistan. For all these people, the possibility of imprisonment and murder follow them through life.