 Marije, a Canadian of Albanian heritage, lives with her ailing mother in Canada. Unable to choose between two lovers, Marije attends a family funeral in the mountains of Albania and steps into a past of blood feuds and ancient customs rooted in legend. She is so enchanted by her new life that she decides to become a ?vowed virgin,? that is, a woman who lives out her life as a man, never marrying or having children.