A remote corner of Japan is home to a community of traditional pearl hunters living out a wonderful harmonious existence. Each day they set out to sea and, with no professional equipment to aid them, dive several metres below the surface to retrieve shellfish, octopuses, sea urchins and lobsters. The tranquil scenes that survey their homes, the gently undulating fishing boat, and the sea itself, capture the instinctive, if muted, emotions and the exceptional stillness of the surface of time, untroubled by the haste of the modern world; the film thus allows us to appreciate the essentials that an ordinary travelogue might easily overlook. This subtly lyrical piece, which opens up to us as we adjust our breathing rhythm to its soothing tempo, embraces a now forgotten profession in order to highlight the importance of rituals in our society. Whether these involve the careful tying of traditional headscarves, the preparation and sharing of local dishes, or a spot of karaoke with friends, the common theme is the warmth of ceremony that fully sustains and bonds the lives of the three generations of women portrayed in this film.