Two sisters, aged 5 and 8, hang out alone at home in the middle of the countryside. Elsa, the youngest, swallows three grains of coarse salt. Judith announces to her that she’s doomed to a death by desiccation, and she only has a few hours to live. The mother returns, behaving ardently and feverishly, and turns the family's destiny upside down.

Ronny Kandiotis, a billionaire and art lover, is the guest of a major museum, on the occasion of a donation to France of two paintings, one by Gauguin and the other by Munch. The same evening, his daughter Lara, is kidnapped by a mysterious organization, which demands as ransom the publication of texts casting opprobrium on this supposedly virtuous man, while the media is already actively seizing the case.

In the Carpathians mountains, in a remote village, Irina lives with her brother, both orphans. They help their adoptive parents with the household chores. The young woman, born deaf-mute, has only one friend in the village: old Ciorsak, the church bell ringer. As often as she can, Irina retreats in nature, among wild animals that roam through the surrounding forests. In this idilic setting, suspended in time, a french crew arrives to make a documentary film about local traditions and customs, baptism, wedding and funeral. Martin, the cameraman, falls madly in love with Irina, who accepts his love. As the film confronts the beliefs and superstitions of the villagers, their love gradually turns into a macabre ritual.