A personal account by the late author traces his youth in Lisbon with his parents, marked by frequent visits to his wise grandparents in the village of Azinhaga, his older brother's tragic early death, and his initial encounters with literature.

In a frank and surprising personal story, Paulo Coelho, facing a grave crisis of faith, decides to start over; on this journey through Europe, Africa, and Asia, he will meet Hilal, the woman he loved 500 years before, and their encounter initiates a mystical voyage through time and space.

Aging actress Irina visits the country estate where her brother Sorin and her son Konstantin reside. She brings her lover Boris, a successful novelist. The estate teems with desire, jealousy and angst. The estate manager's daughter Masha is in love with Konstantin, who is in love with the sweet neighbor Nina, who is in love with Boris. Boris casually uses and discards Nina while Irina continuously treats Konstantin with similar disdain. Emotions run...

The film tells the true story of the relationship between Alan Bennett and the singular Miss Shepherd, a woman of uncertain origins who "temporarily" parked her van in Bennett's London driveway and proceeded to live there for fifteen years.