Anamika, whose mother is Indian and father is English, returns to care for her mother who is suffering from dementia. But the mother-daughter relationship is not an easy one. When her mother was younger she was a promising singer, but a series of unexpected situations, including a move to the United Kingdom, an unplanned pregnancy, and raising a daughter alone, have made her emotional and stubborn. White-skinned Anamika used to lie about being adopted, and the wounds she received from her mother after her father died when she was ten have become a trauma. The time left for them to shake off the long shadows and reconcile with each other is too short. As her mother’s illness worsens, Anamika must prepare herself for medical and legal issues as well as her career and what lies ahead. With a meticulously crafted script this film shows the change in their relationship through dialogue.
The 1973 novel was written by Kobo Abe and follows a nameless man who gives up his identity to live with a large cardboard box over his head, encountering a range of characters as he wanders the streets of Tokyo。
薇薇安（艾玛·汤普森 Emma Thompson 饰）是一位学识渊博的博士，让年轻的她没有想到的是，上帝竟然给对生活和学术充满了热情的自己开了一个天大的玩笑，经过医生的确证，她患上了卵巢癌，病情已经发展到了末期，几乎没有治愈的可能。 从悲伤、抗拒到最后的接受，薇薇安的内心犹如踏过了千山万水。尽管康复的希望渺茫，但她还是积极地接受了可能令她形销骨立的化疗治疗。在身体逐渐枯萎，头发接连落光的过程中，这位睿智的女性也不忘对自己的前半生进行捉摸和思考，她在有限的生命中看到了无限，最终调整好了心态，以平静之姿态，面对必然到来之死亡。
亚历（文森特•佩雷斯 Vincent Perez 饰）快要结婚了。在他的观念中，一上床就意味着爱的结束。这都是因为小时候他看见妈妈不停更换性伴侣造成的阴影。当他看到舞姿动人的芳芳（苏菲•玛索 Sophie Marceau饰），心里燃起了真爱的火焰。亚历决定，他要追求芳芳，但不去涉及情欲。 芳芳也爱上了亚历，然而亚历和她完全是精神恋爱，令芳芳非常苦恼。亚历为了接近芳芳，住在她房间隔壁，装上单面玻璃观察芳芳每天的生活。看着她换上舞服、抬起舞步，做各种鬼怪的表情，却没有勇气打破二人的界限。这面玻璃，成了亚历的一堵心墙。 到底还要等多久，才能有情人终成眷属？芳芳终于发现了亚历的秘密，然而亚历能不能消解心结？
