 A young woman, Karin, has recently returned to the family island after spending some time in a mental hospital. On the island with her is her lonely brother and kind, but increasingly desperate husband ( Max von Sydow ). They are joined by Karin s father ( Gunnar Björnstrand ), who is a world-traveling author that is estranged to his children. The film depicts how Karin s grip on reality slowly slips away and how the bonds between the family members are changing in light of this fact.