Life's starkness and beauty are revealed in this provocative drama about a modern woman's search for self-understanding through memories and dreams of her past. At a time of crisis in her own life, Jennifer learns of the death of her high-school best friend, Christine. As Jennifer reminisces, her reflections relate to later events in her own life and aspects of her teenage relationship with Christine. Reliving the tragedies of Christine's parents and Christine's reaction to them forces Jennifer to confront her own lack of understanding and compasison toward those she loved. But Jennifer discovers that, despite the pain of the past, her dreams and reflections have helped prepare her for the future through the discovery that joy is inseparable from a sharing of sorrow and human compassion.