Summary Alexandros (Bruno Ganz) is a seriously ill writer who is working on Dionysios Solomos’ unfinished work entitled “The Free Besieged”. He is searching for a linguistic and existential identity. He attempts to gather and buy words in order to complete the poet’s work. He bids farewell to his friends right before he checks himself into the hospital where he will eventually die. He picks up an Albanian boy who is wanted by the police. The writer becomes his guardian and saves him from the trafficking mafia. Together they wander the city. He remembers the precious moments he had with his mother, his wife and the people he was close to. He becomes attached to the young boy, postpones his death, postpones eternity for a day and passes onto the boy his love and wisdom.