When Emile (Ian McKellen) is given the opportunity to travel from England to Victoria on Canada's west coast to receive an honorary degree at the university, he goes knowing that it might be his last chance to reconnect with his only living relatives. His niece Nada (Debora Kara Unger) and her daughter Maria (Theo Crane) hold the key to Emile's tragic past and the guilt, which has taunted him his entire life. The story develops along two paths; in the present Emile struggles to connect with his estranged family, and in the past he plays back his memories of leaving the farm where he grew up with his two brothers. As the past weaves together with the present, the experience reveals a portrait of one man's redemption.