An elegant elderly couple faces the ultimate challenge in Austrian auteur Michael Haneke's carefully controlled, emotionally devastating film. Retired music professors Anne and Georges enjoy their last good day together when they attend the concert of a former student. The next day, Anne freezes at the kitchen table for a few minutes, after which she goes on as if nothing happened. Georges encourages her to see a doctor, who recommends surgery, but the operation fails, and she suffers a second stroke that paralyses her right side. Georges copes the best he can with help from neighbours and home-care workers, but Anne rapidly loses the ability to function on her own, even to communicate, which upsets their daughter, Eva. Georges' stoic acceptance elicits praise from onlookers, but Haneke reveals the cracks in his façade: the nightmares, the paranoia, and a series of actions that blur the lines between madness and compassion