Set in the 19th century, a Scot woman agrees to a set-up marriage with a farmer from New Zealand. Along with her daughter born out of wedlock, she arrives in New Zealand to meet the man they will share their lives with. The Scotswoman, a mute since childhood, finds her only recourse in music, in the sounds made by the only thing she brought along, her beloved piano. When life with her new husband becomes unbearable, she makes a deal about the piano with a neighbor, a white man living as a Maori.

The film has been characterized a masterpiece and Keitel puts forth his most sensitive and romantic role through the eyes of Banes.