Set during Apartheid in Namibia, 'Dead River' follows the unlikely friendship of a farm worker's son and the farmer's daughter. David and Lisa meet through the melodies she plays on her flute and he whistles. Lisa's disgruntled father outlaws the friendship and sends his daughter to the hostel. Before the end of Apartheid, Lisa returns to the farm as a young woman and meets David again. Events take a turn for the worse and Lisa sees no other option than to flee the country. Many years later Lisa returns. She is here to face her past and to visit the graves at Dead River.