The film is a complex, non-linear exploration of memory, regret, and the inability to move on from a lost love.

A stylized sci-fi narrative about a train traveling to a place called "2046," where people go to reclaim lost memories. Major Story Arcs

Chow lives in a hotel and attempts to rent —the number of the room he once shared with Su—but ends up in 2047 instead. To cope with his grief, he becomes a suave, emotionally detached womanizer and begins writing a science fiction novel titled 2046 . The film's "story" is told through three main layers: