A hushed, diaphanous work about an ancient Japanese woman who leads "a humble life" in the mountains of Nara, eating little, praying, sewing, giving alms, and composing haiku. The arrival of Sokurov at her mountain abode at twilight has delicate mystery, and the film slowly accumulates a sense of Zen purity and dedication as he explores the house, creaking in the night wind, and, from a respectful distance, watches the rituals of the old woman's isolated life. Intercut with the domestic scenes are classic Sokurov images of the clouds, streams, forests, and rock garden that surround the woman's house, and the leisurely succession of still moments, edited with slow dissolves, has a lulling, almost trancelike effect. Sokurov: "It seemed she had not yet noticed me...I decided to come nearer. I can remember well enough how everything became interesting: walls, utensils, wind, light, sounds-all her life."