Summary
Highlights
Ratul expresses his dislike for butterflies, preferring games with fighting and car races, contrasting with his father's love for nature and bicycles. Village people approach Ratul's father, concerned about news of rising sea levels and the need to move houses from the seashore due to floods and cyclones. They fear their land becoming salty and uninhabitable.
Ratul's father explains that the Earth is getting warmer due to climate change, causing the sea level to rise and threatening Bangladesh. The villagers are skeptical and unwilling to act, preferring to live for today. Later, a mysterious 'Old Man of the Winds' appears to Ratul, explaining that his power to control winds and storms is diminishing because of humanity's harm to Mother Earth through burning fuel and cutting trees, which is heating up the planet.
The Old Man of the Winds takes Ratul on a journey to see the world. They visit factories that have been burning fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal) for centuries, causing air pollution and health issues in cities. The old man explains the 'greenhouse effect,' where excessive carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is causing global temperatures to rise, melting ice caps in the North and South Poles and threatening to flood many parts of the Earth, especially low-lying countries.
Ratul witnesses the melting ice in Antarctica and learns about the Marshall Islands, a low-lying country facing submersion due to rising sea levels, leading to a lack of drinking water and forced displacement. The Old Man warns that Bangladesh faces similar dangers from both the rising ocean and melting Himalayan glaciers, which will dry up rivers and cause immense suffering in the future.
Ratul is shown a future where much of southern Bangladesh is submerged, forcing 30 million people to relocate to the northern parts of the country, living in despair and dependent on government aid. However, the Old Man of the Winds assures Ratul that this future can be changed. He then shows Ratul another future where Dhaka is beautiful, factories run on windmills and solar panels, and the Earth is green and liveable again due to the actions of Ratul and people like him.
The Old Man of the Winds leaves Ratul with the responsibility to find the answers to save the planet. Ratul wakes up, determined to save his home and the Earth. He tells his father that they must educate themselves and others, work together to make Bangladesh free of fossil fuels, and set an example for the world. They discuss implementing taxes on fossil fuels and subsidizing renewable energy like solar and wind power, while also reducing water and air pollution.
The film fast-forwards to a future where young protestors are actively demanding action against climate change. Twenty-five years later, increased awareness and research on global warming have led to significant changes. Bangladesh successfully implemented taxes on fossil fuels, using the revenue to rehabilitate displaced people and create jobs. The United Nations has now imposed fossil fuel taxes globally, leading to a world where the Earth sustains all life, becoming beautiful once again through collective effort.