40岁的神经外科医生玛尔塔坠入了爱河。她抛下自己在美国闪亮的职业道路，回到了布达佩斯，与所爱的男人展开新生活。玛尔塔在自由桥苦苦地等待，然而他并没有出现在约会地点。玛尔塔开始拼命地寻找他，可是当她终于找到了他，这位她生命中的挚爱却说两人此前从未见过面。

战争结束后， 富有远见的建筑师拉斯洛·托特逃离满目疮痍的欧洲，远渡重洋抵达美国，决心在这片陌生的土地上重建自己的人生、事业，以及与妻子伊丽莎白的婚姻——战时变迁的国界与政权曾迫使这对夫妻天各一方。孤独地置身于崭新的国度，拉斯洛在宾夕法尼亚州落脚。其建筑才华被当地财力雄厚、声名显赫的实业家哈里森·李·范布伦赏识。然而，权力与传奇的代价，往往沉重得超乎想象。[A24]

The story revolves around Krisztina, an art teacher who is progressively losing her sight as a complication of diabetes. It engenders a crisis, not only in her own life but also in that of her son. Máté must contend with the state of his mother’s health immediately following the birth of his first child. He does his best to help Krisztina, but his life is gradually torn between his increasingly clingy mother and his own little family. Krisztina, meanwhile, fears being alone in the dark…