Eternity

A curious young man arrives at a Burmese village and spends the night there. A beautiful woman slips into his room and tries to seduce him, but she bolts when screams break the quiet outside. The eerie interruption hints at dark secrets lurking in the village.

The following day, he asks Thip about the screams. Thip begins the tale of Yupadee and Sangmong, Ni Han's former wife and his nephew. The backstory reveals a man raised by Ni Han, educated and conservative, with little interest in women.

Sangmong is described as educated and traditional, living a quiet life under Ni Han's roof. He is loved as a son but kept apart from social life and romance. Ni Han contrasts his nephew with his own womanizing ways.

To 'toughen' him, Ni Han takes Sangmong to a brothel to show him carnal pleasures, hoping to coax his vitality. Sangmong resists, saying he would wait for marriage. Ni Han respects the vow and promises to find him a proper wife.

In Bangkok, Ni Han meets the widow Yupadee and marries her, drawn by her modern ideas. Yupadee quickly forms an attraction to Sangmong, and the two become close as Ni Han hopes to fuse them.

Ni Han returns to the village with Yupadee to introduce her to everyone, and her fondness for Sangmong helps him loosen up. Ni Han believes Yupadee will help Sangmong break out of his shell.

Yupadee provides affection but signals her feelings are inconsistent. She shares memories of her deceased husband, and Sangmong's admiration for her grows when she nurses him back to health from a fever.

Ni Han leaves on a business trip and takes Yupadee with him, but she pretends to be pregnant so she can stay behind with Sangmong. Her deceit enables their growing closeness.

With Ni Han away, Sangmong and Yupadee consummate their affair, while several servants know but say nothing. Ni Han returns and discovers their relationship, forcing a confrontation about their love.

The next day Ni Han confronts the lovers, acknowledging what he knows about them and sealing their fate. He banishes Yupadee to Sangmong, chaining their wrists so they must stay together in a small cabin in the woods.

Initially the lovers treat the punishment as a joke and try to enjoy their time together. Over time, isolation and confinement breed fatigue and resentment between them.

Sangmong refuses to accept the situation and attempts to escape on a ferry, trying to cut their chain with an axe to free them. Yupadee stops him, asking if he would leave her if the chain ever broke and refusing to allow him to break it.

Ni Han's men catch them and return them to the cabin. Sangmong holds the gun and plans to shoot himself to release Yupadee, who then steals the gun and shoots herself, dying in his arms. Sangmong wakes to find her rotting corpse and is freed only to begin a descent into madness.

Sangmong, now broken by grief, roams the village in a state of wild agony, his mind fractured by the loss and the years of captivity. Ni Han maintains control but cannot repair the damage done to Sangmong.

In the closing moments, the young man learns the three women visiting him at night are Ni Han's women. Ni Han sits nearby with chains hanging on a column, casually remarking that he reminds him of his nephew. Sangmong then hands the young man a book before he rides away, ending the tale.