The film opens on two human forms, which soon reveal themselves to be that of a young man and a frail old woman. They recline in a silence broken only by whispers and indistinguishable noises. The young man is the son (Alexei Ananishnov) who is taking care of his exhausted sick mother (Gudrun Geyer). Her illness is undefined and from time to time causes her great pain as she gasps for air. Her son combs her hair, feeds her, covers her with a coat, and takes her in his arms. She is totally dependent on him as he himself was once totally dependent on her. As the film progresses, the son carries his mother on a long journey from her sickbed to her deathbed. It is a circular motion which travels a long walk through a dreamlike landscape in the countryside, along winding dirt roads. At each of their brief stops on the journey is a moment of contemplation, caresses, and tender murmurs. These soft murmurs tell of the mother's love for her son when she was nurturing him and of the son's love for his mother as he opens for her the mysterious path to her death. They progress under the leaden and luminous sky of the Baltic, in totally isolated landscapes. From time to time, there is a far away train or a sail on the sea, emphasizing further their isolation from the rest of the world.They return to the house. The son tenderly lowers his mother into her bed that now seems to resemble a coffin. Although he tries to reassure her to the contrary they both know that the end is coming. He leaves her and goes for a long solitary walk. When he returns he weeps for his mother who's died.
Question: Who is the young man?, Answer: A son. Question: Are the two surrounded by people or isolated?, Answer: Isolated. Question: Why did the son leave his mother?, Answer: to go for a walk Question: Their journey takes a long walk where?, Answer: Along the countryside. Question: What is the man's relationship to the woman?, Answer: Son. Question: What are two things the son does for his mother?, Answer: Feeds her and combs her hair. Question: Why is the son weeping?, Answer: his mother died Question: What two images are shown in the movie opening?, Answer: A young man and an old woman. Question: Where are the man and the woman in the beginning of the movie?, Answer: Plane. Question: Who is the old woman?, Answer: His sick mother. Question: What does the man cover the woman with?, Answer: coat