songbirds

Nisha lives on the island of Cyprus, a far cry from her native Sri Lanka. Although she longs to return home, she knows that working as a maid for a wealthy widow is the only way to earn enough to support her daughter, whom she has left behind to be raised by relatives. Yannis is a poacher, hunting small, protected songbirds that stop in Cyprus during their annual migration from Africa to Europe, and selling them on the black market. Yannis dreams of finding a new life and marrying Nisha. But one night, Nisha prepares dinner, a fragrant dal curry, for the family who pays her: Petra and her daughter, Aliki. After cleaning the kitchen and tucking Aliki into bed, Nisha goes off on a mysterious errand and disappears. When the police refuse to pursue the case, Petra takes the investigation into herself, a path that leads her to Nisha's friends—other workers in the neighborhood—and to the dark side of migrant life, where impossible choices leave them vulnerable, captive, and worse. Inspired by the disappearance of real domestic workers in Cyprus, Christy Leftry has crafted a moving and deeply empathetic account of the human stories behind the headlines. With boundless delicacy and skill, "Songbirds" delivers a triumphant story of the struggle for truth and justice, and of women reclaiming their lost voices.