No-one has done more for the cello than Mstislav Rostropovich, or Slava as he was widely known. As well as being arguably the greatest cellist of the twentieth century, he expanded and enriched the cello repertoire by the sheer force of his artistry and his personality and composers lined up to write works for him. 　　In this film by John Bridcut, friends, family and former pupils explore the unique talents of this great Russian artist, and listen to and watch him making music. Contributors include his widow Galina Vishnevskaya and their daughters Olga and Elena; the eminent conductors Seiji Ozawa and Gennadi Rozhdestvensky; and cellists who attended his famous classes in Moscow, including Natalya Gutman, Mischa Maisky, Moray Welsh, Elizabeth Wilson and Karine Georgian. 　　The film traces the development of Rostropovich's international career amid the political tensions of the final years of the Soviet Union.

音乐学院的教师洪美珠家里来了一个新管家，没多久新管家的家人死于车祸，她为此轻生喝强酸，虽然抢救过来却无法说话，于是每天她像一个幽灵一样出现在这个家庭里。美珠丈夫的妹妹君兰的未婚夫在美国，有一天突然传来消息说要抛弃她，在一个深夜里，哭泣后的君兰被镜子里出来的鬼魂击到了窗外吊死在阳台上。而这一切又被美珠患自闭症的大女儿看到，她的行为开始反常，爱上了拉大提琴，却总是拉一曲洪美珠最不想听到的乐曲。一天，小女儿去大女儿的房间，出来的时候竟然发现自己抓着阳台。大女儿想起了妹妹教她数数，竟然去扒开妹妹的手指。洪美珠刚刚回到家看到了这一幕，还来不及阻止，小女儿就掉下阳台摔死了。她为了不使丈夫伤心隐瞒了小女儿的死亡，丈夫却自己发现了小女儿的尸体，挣扎中，她又误杀了丈夫……