The Hopeful is a long-form narrative podcast that tells the story of an Iranian-Canadian who escapes Iran amidst the revolutionary crisis.

Our lead character, Amir Omidvar, speaks to his daughter (the host of the show), Shayda Omidvar, about why he decided to leave Iran and how arriving in Canada has impacted his life and the life of his family.

For nearly two years Amir does everything he can to cross the Atlantic ocean. While taking refuge in Spain, Amir makes three failed attempts to enter the United States. Each venture brings him to a new peril but no closer to America.

On his fourth and final attempt, Amir lands not in the US, as he had hoped, but in Canada.