Bertil Guve

A widowed actress and her children suffer hardships when she mistakenly marries a conservative church leader.

A veteran theater director, Henrik (Erland Josephson), is staging a production of Strindberg's "Dream Play." Dozing after rehearsal, he's woken by Anna (Lena Olin), his lead actress, who seems out to seduce him. Anna's mother was Rakel (Ingrid Thulin), a deceased alcoholic actress and Henrik's former mistress. The presence of Anna makes Henrik think about his past with Rakel, as well as the mistakes he has made in his life, while he also imagines a possible future with Anna.