The inspiration for the film and its title come from a moment in the correspondence between Lou Salomé and Rainer Maria Rilke. However, the film describes moments and aspects of the life of a contemporary couple who are experiencing change. The daily life the man and woman share in this film is acknowledged to be difficult. The female character, who is her partner's senior, opens the way to a possible exchange which is directed towards fraternity. As the poet says : "love will no longer be the intercourse between a man and woman, but between one humanity and another."