A cat and a mouse carry on a dysfunctional relationship in a futuristic landscape. A Chinese monk sets out on foot with a tiger during the Tang dynasty and happens upon the giant Buddhas of Bamiyan. Two bluecollar workers dissect the meaning of "normal" life, as the world crumbles around them. A box of matches succumb, to their detriment, to the appeal of a cigarette. Four people recount their various encounters--triumphant or terrifying, euphoric or down-to-earth--with an unforgettable rite of passage.