Subarashiki kana jinsei

A man has a gay love affair and tragedy strikes.

Three separate but interconnected dramas, set in the same predominantly black neighborhood of North Philadelphia.

Frau Julia Ecker,inmate at the geriatric station of the Vienneses psychiatric clinic "Baumgartner Höhe", develops deep affection and sympathy, even love, for her new "male nurse" Karl who is doing his civilian service at this hospital. Karl, a highly-sensitive young man in his Mid-Twenties, feels great warmth and also pity for 87-year-old Julia, spends a lot of time with her during his working hours and finally gives in to Julia's tender erotic seduction. Being observed by the head nurse of Frau Ecker's station, who is jealous of Karl's abilities to empathically understand his patients' needs and of his successes in assisting them at preserving their remaining intellectual and physical skills, when sexually intercoursing with Julia Karl is reported to the police by the head nurse leading to his being arrested and incarcerated. finally, Karl has to face trial being accused of having "sexually abused a helpless old woman". For Julia Ecker her short but beautiful intimate friendship with Karl has been emotionally and literally "the last dance" in her life.

U.S. Deputy Marshal Roy investigates the disappearance of a government agent who has come to Dale's father's Ladder A Ranch. The bad guys want the land the ranch sits on because they know an oil pipeline is planned through this location.

The film, based on the novel of the same title by Edna O'Brien, is a dark story about love and land set in County Clare in the West of Ireland.