Marie, the daughter of a pastor, and major Trolle are young and in love, and they seem destined to become engaged. Everything is coming up roses when a serpent enters this Paradise. Trolle’s close friend, Hoffmann, begins making passes at Marie, and even in the face of consistent rejections he remains tireless in his pursuit. When he assaults Marie one evening, Trolle surprises them and mistakenly thinks they are having an affair. Marie is deeply hurt by Trolle’s distrust of her, so she leaves him quietly and finds employment at the Scala Theatre. When she is to perform some time later, Hoffmann is present – as is Trolle, who has realised his mistake. When she receives an ingratiating message from Hoffmann, she makes an impulsive and fateful decision. Stumfilm.dk

Set in 1913, 1936 and 2001. When he returns to the casino and seaside resort of his early teens, Louis, a 78 year old man encounters Olivia, a 19 year old young woman madly in love with a violent cad. Louis tells the story of his own mother having a passionate, driven fling with his Italian tennis instructor in 1936, and of Marie Collins Brown, the slightly older widowed woman who helped him through his confusion and pain by recounting the story of her passionate 24 hour fling with a hopeless young Polish gambler in 1913.

After the tragic death from malaria of her beloved husband his rich widow Helga Vanroh travels restlessly around various Mediterranean countries. In the luxurious surroundings of a hotel in Monte Carlo Mrs. Vanroh keeps apart from society, until one evening she decides to visit the casino. There a young man attracts her curiosity and compassion.

Alice, a widowed Frenchwoman, goes on a vacation to Italy. Upon her return, she relates the particulars of her holiday. Within a 24-hour time frame, Alice gets on the wrong boat, winds up in Switzerland where she whiles away the hours at a casino, meets a handsome young German army deserter named Thomas, spends the night with her new acquaintance, pays his sizeable gambling debts, and helps him elude the authorities...

Elementary school teacher Xuan-ying is paid a visit by Yue-jie, a student of hers from 12 years ago. During the three hours they spend together in the classroom, Xuan-ying slowly steps away from her former disaffection with the world and once again witnesses what it means to be alive.

There are only a few hours left to fight. During a walk on the beach, women talk about Agnieszka's first fight, her first success, her first tear, her first love, nervousness and mental stress.