Set on a serene floating monastery in a remote Korean lake, the film follows a young monk from childhood to old age across five seasons. Each seasonal chapter explores themes of desire, sin, loss, and spiritual redemption through mostly visual storytelling and minimal dialogue. Director Kim Ki-duk crafts a meditative and visually stunning meditation on the cyclical nature of human existence.
Kim Ki-duk films a Buddhist monastery on a North Korean lake across the seasons. The film is the genre's most contemplative; the cycle is the curriculum.