THE DISTANT BARKING OF DOGS is set in the Eastern part of Ukraine, right at the frontline of the war. The film follows 10-year-old Ukrainian boy Oleg and his life throughout a year, witnessing him growing up and the influences the on-going war has on his life. Oleg lives with his beloved grandmother, Alexandra, in a small house in the village of Hnutova. Most people have already left the village, and soldiers have taken over their empty houses and built a base atop the village hill. Oleg and Alexandra would like to stay in Hnutova and take care of each other in this village that they love. Yet, the reality is that they don’t have any other place to go to or any other option, and life is only becoming more and more difficult inside this war that doesn’t seem to have an end in sight.