In 1995, then-16-year-old ethnic Serb Vladimir Kalanj fled the village of Ervenik, located in southern Croatia, together with his family. It happened during the Croatian military offensive known as "Operation Oluja" (Operation Storm) that ended Serbian control over parts of the country, in the time of the Croatian War of Independence.

Now, 30 years later, Kalanj has returned to the place he never stopped calling home. Rebuilding his life in rural Dalmatia, Kalanj finds peace in simplicity and chooses optimism over past divisions.