In a crumbling Parisian apartment building, Zao, an elderly Chinese man, crosses paths with Sarah, a young Australian actress, when she moves in across the hall.
Her mind is clearly elsewhere, and when Zao discovers Sarah is bent on suicide, he suggests a pact: he’ll cook refined Chinese dishes for her up until the fatal day.
An intense, ambiguous and subtly erotic relationship forms between them under the watchful gaze of their inquisitive and jealous neighbors.