North-East Cambodia, early 2018. Neang is an indigenous mother. She lives with her two parents and her four children in a remote village in the northeast of Cambodia: Kbal Romeas. She dreams of living peacefully with her family, surrounded by nature. In 2014, their lives were disrupted by the construction of a hydroelectric dam. At the end of 2017, the reservoir flooded the houses of Neang and the people from Kbal Romeas suffered greatly. Along with other villagers, Neang refused the compensation offered and chose to stay. They consider themself as the guardians of the land. Now, she lives in a small hut at the edge of the forest. She and the others who remain are trying to rebuild Kbal Romeas from scratch. There, they can continue to live close to nature and the spirits of their ancestors, but the Cambodian government considers Neang and the villagers of Kbal Romeas as outlaws. However, driven by their convictions, they are slowly rebuilding the foundations of their new life on this forbidden land. From the flooding of the village of Kbal Romeas until today, "The Tongue of Water" tells the story of Neang's resilience and her struggle to stay on her land to build a new life alongside her family and nature.