Since the occupation of Crimea in 2014, Ukrainian families with children have had to live their daily lives in the shadow of the threat of war. Maya and Her Friends tells the story of ordinary Ukrainian children and their families.

Nine-year-old Maya has 16 classmates, all with different home backgrounds. Sofia’s father has disappeared in the battles against Russia. When the war ends, he will hopefully be found. Aksana lives with her father because her mother is dead. Hristina lives with her grandmother because her parents are working abroad. Rais is a Crimean Tatar whose family had to leave his homeland due to the Russian occupation. Timko’s parents are divorced, and he lives alternately with his mother and father. Petro is a Roma and has a huge family clan. Maya herself, on the other hand, has two mothers.