No one is immune to the power of the seasons and their yearly cycle of birth, growth and decay. Not even the two monks who share a hermitage floating on a pond that is surrounded by mountains. As the seasons unfold, every aspect of their lives is infused with an intensity that leads both to greater spirituality – and tragedy. Under the watchful eyes of the Old Monk, a Young Monk experiences the loss of innocence when play turns to cruelty, the awakening of love when a woman enters their closed world, the murderous power of jealousy and obsession, the price of redemption, and the enlightenment of experience.