A celebration of the exchange of knowledge and ideas, this “talking picture” is ultimately about more than just conversation – it is also about the dangers that face the modern world. Rosa Maria, a young Portuguese history professor, sets out by sea with her young, inquisitive daughter Maria Joana to meet her husband in Bombay, India. They start from the port of Lisbon – as many great Portuguese explorers did centuries ago – and travel to Marseilles, Pompeii, Athens, Istanbul, Port Said and Aden. Rosa Maria tells her curious child about the places they visit and takes her through a partial history of the Mediterranean civilisations and of Western culture. The pair also runs into strangers who are generous with their expertise. Meanwhile, at each port of call, an intriguing female passenger – a French businesswoman, a former model from Italy, and a Greek actress and teacher – boards their boat and joins in the conversation about the state of the world and their own lives. As they head towards the Persian Gulf, a strange threat disturbs the cruise creating a risk to the ship and the life of the passengers.