Gabriel Byrne plays Samuel O'Shea, a college literature professor in Montreal who must confront his mortality and make peace with his family after a series of hallucinations lead to his diagnosis with an inoperable brain tumour. The film uses the songs of Leonard Cohen throughout its soundtrack, reflecting on themes of love, life, and mortality as the professor's world unravels. As he navigates these surreal changes, Samuel must also come to terms with his own legacy and the stories that will be told about him after he's gone.