Liv Ullmann plays the widowed, crippled Anna Fromm, who while travelling on a remote island calls upon reclusive ex-convict Andreas (Max von Sydow) in order to use his telephone. After Anna leaves, Andreas discovers she's left her purse behind; he opens it, hoping to find some identification. A letter in the purse details Anna's unhappy marriage and the depths of her loneliness. Eventually, Anna moves in with Andreas, who has become more closely acquainted with her through the intervention of Anna's friends Ellis and Evan Vergerus (Bibi Anderson and Erland Josephson). One dark night, tensions mount between Anna and Andreas due to reports of an escaped lunatic in the vicinity. Andreas's barn is set afire by the lunatic, and after collapsing at the scene of the blaze, Andreas is rescued by Anna. In his delirium, he accuses her of trying to kill him, further accusing her of causing the car accident that killed her husband and left her crippled. Anna and Andreas part, each retreating into their solitary emotional shells.