一家疗养院里,年逾古稀的犹太人古特曼先生(克里斯托弗·普卢默 Christopher Plummer 饰)呻吟着从睡梦中醒来。他的记忆正在消退,连妻子不久前去世的事也险些忘记。不过妻子的离开似乎也帮他卸去最后一点儿牵挂,他在朋友的帮助下,从养老院偷偷跑出。古特曼的身上携带着朋友写的信,上面记载着他沿途需要注意的事项以及此行最大的目的。几经辗转,他终于找到了名叫鲁迪·克兰德的老人。对方年轻时曾是参与过二战的德国士兵,家族的血海深仇驱使着古特曼先生不远万里追踪仇人。
奥斯维辛集中营的恐怖记忆,让每个切身经历者都背上了毕生无法摆脱的罪……
Min Ji-suk runs a "ticket bar"where customers can purchase tickets for certain "services"in the town of Sokcho in Gangwon-do. She hires Miss Yang (Ahn So-young), Miss Hong (Lee Hye-young), and Se-young (Jeon Se-young) through the employment agency. Miss Yang and Miss Hong, who are well experienced in this type of business, are used to accepting propositions from customers. But Se-young, who is dating a college student named Min-su, rejects all requests for sexual favors. When Min-su professes to having problems with his tuition and finances, Se-young reassures him that she will procure the necessary funds for him. When the bar's clientele begins to dwindle because of Se-young, Ji-suk reprimands her severely. Se-young develops a close relationship with a Captain Pak and even allows him to sleep with her. She asks Captain Pak to find Min-su employment on a boat, but when Min-su comes to Sokcho for his new job, he sees how Se-young has been making her living. Shocked, he turns his back on the job and leaves. When he eventually returns to Sokcho, he scathingly denounces Se-young's morality and severs their relationship. Decades ago, Ji-suk had stumbled into the bar business in a desperate effort to support her husband, who was serving time in prison; she later left him voluntarily out of shame and moral degradation. Concerned that Se-young will end up with the same fate, Ji-suk asks Min-su to meet with her. She begs him not to abandon Se-young, but he flatly refuses. Ji-suk reacts by pushing Min-su into the sea, and suffers a mental breakdown that lands her in a psychiatric institution.
日理万机的商界女强人玛格列特(苏菲·玛索 Sophie Marceau 饰)精明强干,性感而极富活力。然而正值不惑之年的她,也同样面对着理想与现实、事业与家庭带给她的困惑和彷徨。40岁生日那天,玛格列特收到了一个来自老家的包裹,里面竟然是她七岁时写给未来自己的信。“亲爱的我:今天,我7岁生日,特别写封信给你,提醒你要记住,7岁时说过的承诺和我对将来的梦想……”
接下来的几天,玛格列特同样收到了这样的包裹。儿时那些不愉快的记忆,如潮水般汹涌而至。故事便从这些尘封着童年回忆的信件开始了。