As a young girl, Nagiko (Vivan Wu) became her father’s canvas each year on her birthday, as he’d paint on her face and neck the creation myth in elaborate, elegant calligraphy. As a young woman, she finds pleasure in continuing the practice with a succession of lovers, particularly a bisexual translator (Ewan McGregor) who becomes a pawn in an escalating game of revenge on the publisher who once exploited her beloved father’s hard work. Told in a series of chapters and engaging innovative cinematography and picture-in-picture techniques.