Jorn Plucieniczak’s Terril opens with the film’s only interior shot. A man’s silhouette stands in despair in a dark room. He slides aside a curtain and briefly peeks out through a slit that lets suspiciously little light through. Although the rest of the film takes place outdoors, the ominous walls of this room set the tone: the feeling of being trapped continues in the characters' heads.

A group of friends and family welcomes the same man. They chew barbecued chicken, tell each other tall tales, light another cigarette, and consider an extra six-pack of beer. The setting of this reunion is the old mining area around Genk—a familiar environment for Plucieniczak, who grew up there and made the film +6 Gain, also set in the indeterminate spaces of the deindustrialised area.