When the body of an illegal colleague is found on site, Romanian car-wash supervisor Cristi knows that discovery of the death will destroy the business and upend the lives of all the workers supported by it.
Fearing retribution from the car-wash’s owner, he decides to quietly dispose of the body with the help of Yusuf, a stubborn Kurdish worker who agrees to help, but only if he’s allowed to perform a religious burial for his countryman.
With only a single day and night to fulfil their mission, the pair head out of Bradford into the wintry expanse of the Yorkshire Dales to search for a suitable secluded spot. As they drive, they turn to conversations around their lives and their situations, and as nerves begin to fray a righteous clash of morals emerges which threatens to derail their journey and put them both in danger…
The Ceremony gives an acute insight into the modern migrant experience, discarding politics and discussion around immigration or national identity.