The cast consists of original roles played by Iranian and Iranian-American performers in a story set in a fictional Iranian ghost town, with no verified departures from prior canon. The central plot follows Arash caring for his addicted father while falling for the unnamed female vampire who skates through Bad City and selectively feeds on exploitative men such as the pimp Saeed and the junkie Hossein. The film features a female vampire vigilante who preys on abusive male figures in a role-reversal that critics frequently label feminist or anti-patriarchal, alongside a sidelined queer-coded character named Rockabilly that supplies incidental LGBTQ+ visibility in an Iranian setting.

Director Ana Lily Amirpour explicitly rejects feminist or political labels, framing the film as a personal romantic story about loneliness rather than activist messaging. These elements keep thematic centrality moderate rather than foundational to the premise.