Jakob, a young farmhand who dreams of owning his own horse, is forced into marriage with the musically highly gifted maid Elsie, who longs for a career as a musician. Both have to learn that they can only escape their lack of opportunities if they team up.

Swiss director Katalin Gödrös' film Songs Within is a drama of suffering endured by the oppressed. Elsie, a maid for a wealthy merchant, becomes pregnant after being raped by her employer, and the young farmer Jakob is forced to marry her. Elsie, longing to sing, and Jakob, who desires to own a horse, move to a dilapidated farmhouse on the village outskirts. When a stranger named Rico arrives, their fate undergoes an irreversible change. Set against the Alps, Songs Within listens to the voices groaning under civilization's violence and the brutal wilderness. The protagonists sing and play instruments, spreading the painful laments etched into their lives. (Kim Byeonggyu)