In the dying days of the Russian Empire, a Scottish sound recordist disappears into the Caucasus mountains; a former hero of the Algerian resistance experiments with traditional Chinese medicine; a French anatomical artist models disfigured soldiers returned from the Crimea. In 1960s Poland, a grandmother hatches a plan when a Hollywood star comes to town; while during the war in Vietnam, fate and superstition guide a Filipino cook toward a new vocation; and in Weimar Berlin, a young man's efforts to rehabilitate himself are derailed by a charismatic artist. Confronting, moving, and...