orontes river valley tells the story of syria. it reveals a warring nation that is breaking apart. in this valley, neighbor is fighting neighbor. every day is a struggle to survive. a land where regime and rebels are fighting to the death. this is the story of the people who live and fight on both sides of the front line-- neighbors now divided by religion, ideology, and the river that runs between them. ahmad is 20 years old, and works in his dad's garage. nine months ago he defected from the regime police force to join the rebel free syrian army. >> (translated): i was a policeman. we were sent out to quell the protests, and some of us would open fire on demonstrators. but i used to hide. i'd throw my bullets away. here is my photo. i looked evil when i was serving the regime. i was full of hatred. now i look better. this photo was taken after i joined the free syrian army. this is the real me. the regime used to force me to shave my beard every day. when i defected, i started to grow it. i wanted to change my look while fighting with the rebels. >> (translated): he's just showin