Plot Analysis Summary
A submerged village becomes the foundation for a haunting investigation into personal identity, memory, and the dead.
Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases
The Valley Before Silence
Zurich's demand for electrical power leads to a dam project. Despite local resistance, Marmorera and parts of its valley are flooded.
Key Events
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Zurich Needs More Power — Zurich's need for electrical power motivates the dam project.
Location: Zurich
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Dam Project Proposed — A dam project is planned in the Alpine valley.
Location: Marmorera Valley
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Village Population Resists — The population resists the project that threatens the village.
Location: Marmorera
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Marmorera Is Flooded — The village is submerged in a dam reservoir in 1954.
Location: Marmorera
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Valley Disappears — Wide parts of the village and surrounding valley disappear beneath the water.
Location: Surrounding Valley
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Village Rebuilt — A new village is rebuilt after the original settlement is flooded.
Location: Marmorera
A Village Reborn
The village is rebuilt and its inhabitants are resettled. Yet the original settlement remains submerged beneath the reservoir.
Key Events
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Village Rebuilt — A new village is rebuilt after the original settlement is flooded.
Location: Marmorera
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Inhabitants Resettled — The inhabitants are resettled after the flooding.
Location: Rebuilt Marmorera
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Reservoir Covers Old Village — The reservoir conceals the former village beneath its waters.
Location: Dam Reservoir
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Ghost Story Emerges — The submerged village becomes the source of a ghost story.
Location: Marmorera Reservoir
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Identity Mystery Begins — The story turns toward the mystery of individual identity.
Location: Marmorera
The Nameless Woman
A young woman without a name, origin, or language skills becomes the focus of an identity mystery. A young psychiatrist takes care of her.
Key Events
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Identity Mystery Begins — The story turns toward the mystery of individual identity.
Location: Marmorera
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Young Woman Appears — A young woman without a name, origin, or language skills becomes central.
Location: Marmorera
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Her Identity Is Questioned — The young woman's missing name and origin create an identity mystery.
Location: Marmorera
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Psychiatrist Takes Responsibility — A young psychiatrist takes care of the unidentified woman.
Location: Psychiatric Care Setting
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Communication Becomes Difficult — Her lack of language skills complicates the psychiatrist's care.
Location: Psychiatric Care Setting
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Care Reveals Deeper Mystery — Caring for the woman gradually connects personal identity with the lake.
Location: Marmorera
The Lake Within
The psychiatrist gradually recognizes that his own identity is based on the soil of the mysterious lake. The dead people connected to Marmorera expand the mystery.
Key Events
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Care Reveals Deeper Mystery — Caring for the woman gradually connects personal identity with the lake.
Location: Marmorera
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Psychiatrist Questions Himself — The psychiatrist begins to realize that his own identity is unstable.
Location: Marmorera Reservoir
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Identity Tied To Soil — His identity is understood as rooted in the soil of the mysterious lake.
Location: Marmorera Reservoir
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Dead Villagers Become Present — The growing number of dead people from Marmorera enters the mystery.
Location: Marmorera Reservoir
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Home Village Connects Everyone — The dead are united by their former home village, Marmorera.
Location: Marmorera
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Lake Holds The Mystery — The lake remains the foundation of the identities and unresolved mystery.
Location: Marmorera Reservoir
The psychiatrist Simon embarks with his newly wed Paula on a wedding trip to Marmorera, the home of his ancestors. The body of a young woman is found on the shore of the reservoir. A little later, the same woman - alive but without an identity - was taken to the Psychiatric University Clinic Burgholzli in Zurich, where Simon works. The idea of the film is based on a true story: in 1954 the entire old Marmorera was demolished and flooded to prevent protests against the planned dam above the village. Only the cemetery with the bones of the dead was moved.
