SYNOPSIS

On a mysterious wilderness lake, a woman shapes a film. Against impressionistic footage of the water and its swans, a range of observers – personifications of the filmmaker's thoughts – are heard in voiceover. The filmmaker reads from her shooting diary, girls recount swan myths, a scholar discusses swan symbolism, and “experts” from across history debate whether swans really sing before they die. Over painted illustrations, the woman spins her own tale.

As all the scenarios play out, the film as document of reality becomes suspect and its true setting is revealed. And as the real swans’ escapades point up a disparity between human perception and reality, they begin to resemble the filmmaker’s fairy tale.