In the heart of the university's botanical garden, a magnificent ginkgo biloba tree grows. Over the course of a century, it becomes a silent witness and participant in the story of three strangers. A determined girl fights for a place in the botany department, seeking refuge from the prejudices of the male-dominated academic world in the tree's shade. A lonely student, who has never paid much attention to plants, finds solace in its silent presence after a life of turmoil. A Hong Kong neurologist (played by Tony Leung, known from Wong Kar-Wai's films) begins to question his scientific beliefs after an encounter with the tree, discovering a profound connection between the visible and the intangible.