The struggle of a songwriter who escapes oppression through her music.

Riya writes songs in the middle of the night, in the bathroom, after her nose has stopped bleeding and the swelling in her cheeks has gone down... After her husband, Ash, has finally passed out. She writes songs that will never be heard by anyone but herself.

This has been the sad refrain in Riya's life for many years. But what follows is the bridge to a new verse; a chance for Riya to bring her songs out of isolation and into the light. With the help of friends who mentor and protect her, Riya aspires to shed the bonds of her abusive relationship and head toward her dream of one day playing her music for other people. The crescendo to Riya's story deals in love, violence, retribution and hope.

There are extras available at the Refrain website, including interviews and free music.

Not only can you download all the songs from the film for free but you can also download the songs created as a part of the Refrain Side Project: An open source music project where independent musicians reinterpret the songs from Refrain.