Lisbon. Portugal. Present day. For Alex and Bruno, it could be any other time or place.
An old and sickly failed English actor, Alex drags out a solitary existence recording voice-overs for cheap travel videos, drinking himself to sleep at the local bar, and ridiculing the world and others with his cynical wit.
Bruno, a young and reclusive Portuguese locksmith, devotes himself to his obsession: fighting the passing of time. He does this by breaking into other peoples homes to make a record of their lives and identities through their possessions, which he then meticulously organizes in a large archive at the back of his shop.
Although strangers to one another, both mens lives are set to change when Irene, an attractive Portuguese painter, moves into the apartment next to Alexs. Joyful and passionate about life, Irene is everything Alex and Bruno are not, and the two mens lives begin to gravitate obsessively around her.
Then one day, inexplicably, Irene disappears.
Although initially hostile to each other, Alex and Bruno join forces to search Irenes apartment for clues to her whereabouts, and slowly move in, forgetting about the world outside. In this safe haven, they begin to grudgingly accept one another, and a trusting friendship slowly develops.
When they discover Irene might be in Spain, and in danger, these two unlikely heroes decide to embark on a mission to rescue her, and leave for Spain.
The journey might turn out to be pointless. But theyll make it together. As friends.