Johan's world collapses when he runs over a child on his way to work one day, and the child consequently dies from its injuries. Overcome by feelings of guilt, the man in his mid-forties becomes seriously depressed and unfit for work. Anna, the child's mother, is also unable to overcome the terrible course of events and flees into a world of illusions in which her daughter is still alive. By coincidence, Johan and Anna meet at the eastern station in Stockholm and become friends. Only Johan knows of their fateful connection, but conceals the fact that he was behind the wheel of the calamitous car. In contrast, Anna pretends to her new acquaintance that her daughter is still alive - and falls in love with Johan. The Scandinavian cinema stars Mikael Persbrandt and Iben Hjejle excel in their starring roles in this richly coloured melodrama that - despite its unusual plot - succeeds in telling a moving love story as well as revealing the mechanisms of coping with grief.