Rural factory worker Selma (Björk) is a single mother losing her eyesight from a hereditary disease. To protect her ten-year-old son from the same fate, Selma saves money to get him an operation. At night, Selma escapes into a world where "nothing dreadful ever happens," rehearsing a production of The Sound of Music with her best friend (Catherine Deneuve). But when a neighbor (David Morse) betrays her trust, Selma's life unravels -- and the lines between reality and fantasy blur.