The Immortal Story

In nineteenth-century Macao, the wealthy merchant Mr. Clay lives at the end of his life with only his book-keeper Levinsky for company. Clay harbors a growing disdain for prophecies and the idea that fate can be guided by stories. He becomes curious about turning a shipboard legend into reality.

One evening, Levinsky reads to Clay and recites a prophecy by Isaiah. Clay reacts with hostility toward prophecies and reluctantly focuses on a tale he heard on a ship. This exchange seeds the central obsession that drives the plot.

Clay begins to tell the story of a rich old man who offers a sailor five guineas to impregnate his wife. Levinsky, who has heard the same tale from many seamen, completes or embellishes the story, reinforcing its plausibility. This shared legend makes Clay yearn to realize it in reality.

Clay's fixation grows as he resolves to make the tale come true, no matter the cost. He dispatches Levinsky to find a suitable sailor and a young woman to play the wife. The project marks a dangerous turning point for all involved.

Levinsky approaches Virginie, daughter of Clay's former business partner, who has fallen from prosperity due to Clay's ruthless practices. She embraces the plan as a chance to exact revenge and secure a new future. Her motive is not romance but retribution.

The destitute sailor Paul, a young Dane rescued from a desert island, is found on the street and recruited to play the sailor. He initially refuses, but Clay reminds him that money can change his life, and Paul finally agrees.

Virginie and Paul develop an emotional bond during their brief union, though their paths will diverge afterward. Virginie experiences a softening of her bitterness toward Clay as she shares moments with Paul. Paul departs toward an uncertain future, leaving Virginie behind.

Before leaving, Paul gives Virginie a shell he found on his desert island, promising it will sing if she places it to her ear. The shell becomes a tangible link to the island and to the story that has consumed Clay and Levinsky.

Levinsky goes to inform Clay of what has happened, but discovers the old merchant has died. The revelation ends the immediate scheme and leaves the conspirators with a hollow victory and unresolved fates. The moment underscores the fragility of their plans.

After fulfilling his part, Paul is seen walking away from the villa, his future unclear. The film hints at a quiet liberation or a future unknown beyond the immediate plot. This departure marks a quiet, unresolved ending.

Levinsky retrieves the shell and holds it to his ear, reporting that he has heard a familiar song before but cannot remember where. The moment echoes the prophecy and unsettles him, suggesting memory and fate are tangled in the chain of events.

The story leaves the audience with a sense that the prophecy's song lingers, tying the island memory to Clay's life and Levinsky's recollections. The characters' actions blur the line between legend and reality as the shell's tune hints at a past they cannot fully recall.