Between 1967 and 1977, Alex, a young American Peace Corps volunteer, spent a decade living in Iran. There, he met and fell in love with a young Iranian, Ali, and the couple lived together for several years. But when the Islamic revolution broke out in the late seventies, Alex was forced to leave the country, leaving behind the person he considered his true soul mate. The two managed to keep their relationship alive through letters, phone calls and emails but, at the point of entering old age, they decided to wait no longer before meeting up again. And so it is that, in 2012, 35 years after their physical separation, they finally arrange a reunion in Istanbul.

Film director Malachi Leopold, a human rights activist and Alex's nephew, follows them in this risky adventure. Will Ali be able to leave Iran without giving away the reason for his journey? Alex & Ali is an intimate, moving portrayal of a truly epic love story that develops in a tremendously hostile geopolitical environment in which the protagonists have to deal with cultural differences and the effect of the passing of time.