A mother, father and son live together in Taipei but lead very separate lives, barely communicating. When the son is stricken with agonizing neck pain, seemingly from an ill-advised dunk in the polluted Tansui River, the family finds a new purpose. But when they try everything from Western medicine to acupuncture to a faith healer, nothing alleviates the son's pain. Could his ailment be an unfortunate side effect of the family's silent dynamics?