In the Shadow of Her Father follows Ava, a Middle Eastern woman living a quiet, constrained life in rural Ohio—working at a pet store by day and caring for her troubled, alcoholic adoptive father at night. Haunted by PTSD from the Vietnam War, her father's grip on Ava keeps her world small—until a mysterious Egyptian man named Nabil arrives. His unexpected presence awakens a longing in Ava for truth, freedom, and self-discovery, leading her to confront her past and unravel the painful secrets buried in her family’s history.