Tangerines is set during the 1992-93 war in Abkhazia (Georgia). Ivo (Lembit Ulfsak), a wise and determined old Estonian resolves not to take sides in the war. He also decides to stay to help his neighbour harvest his new season’s crop of tangerines. When a conflict breaks out in front of their home and 2 soldiers are  seriously wounded, Ivo takes them into his home. The enemy soldiers vow to kill each other. But Ivo extracts a promise from each man that they will abstain from seeking vengeance while under his roof. The gentle poignancy of the film with its pacifist message is largely due to the characterisation of Ivo. His words and actions expose the realities of wartime and what it means to be humane.