He assumes the identity of a Spanish gardener named Manuel at a Portuguese quinta, forms a bond with owner Amalia (Maria de Medeiros), and later encounters Olga (Branka Katić), a Serbian woman who has taken on his wife's identity. The narrative explores grief, personal reinvention, identity theft as moral tension, and finding belonging through quiet, poetic storytelling without any activist framing.

Its traditional drama premise stays tightly focused on loss, identity, and human connection, presenting these themes through character-driven encounters rather than any social justice lens or critique of cultural norms. Casting aligns European actors with roles that match their characters' nationalities and the story's cross-cultural Spanish, Portuguese, and Serbian setting, avoiding any established-character swaps or external diversity mandates. Director statements center on philosophical ideas of place and self, with no activist intent expressed. Audience reception has remained positive and free of controversies or polarized discourse around ideology, confirming the film's straightforward emphasis on personal and existential questions over contemporary political messaging.