In northeast Italy is the Tagliamento River, tucked away almost like a secret spot on the border between Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. This documentary is a poem to that river and the people of the region, spirited, storied, and naturally beautiful.

Jack Gladney, professor of Hitler studies at The-College-on-the-Hill, husband to Babette, and father to four children/stepchildren, is torn asunder by a chemical spill from a rail car that releases an "Airborne Toxic Event" forcing Jack to confront his biggest fear - his own mortality.