[1] A seated woman, alone in a chair at a table in a room on one of the top floors of an asylum, repeatedly writes on a piece of paper and sharpens pencils.

Great emphasis is placed on extreme close-ups of the objects central to her existence: the pencils, the sharpener, the paper, her cramped, clenching hands, blackened fingernails, endless stubs of broken-off lead, and finally the letters themselves, packaged up and 'posted' uselessly into a grandfather clock.

[2] Karlheinz Stockhausen‘s composition, "Zwei Paare" (Two Couples), an electronic piece originally composed for the opera Freitag aus Licht in 1991,[1][3] plays throughout the film and inspired the imagery and style in it.

"[5] The Brothers Quay later learned that composer Karlheinz Stockhausen found their film compelling on a more intimate level.

"[3] The black and white film, with some parts in colour, was originally created in 35mm format and is twenty minutes long.