- A chronicle of the tragic love affair between American poet Elizabeth Bishop and Brazilian architect Lota de Macedo Soares.
- Elizabeth Bishop (Miranda Otto) is a middle age, aspiring poet, under tutelage of Robert Lowell (Treat Williams). Lowell loves Elizabeth, but she doesn't encourage "his weekly attacks on her virtue". To take a break from her struggling career, Elizabeth takes a break and travels to Rio De Janero, Brazil.
In Rio, Elizabeth stays with her close friend Mary Morse (Tracy Middendorf) and her lesbian lover Lota De Macedo Soares (Glória Pires). Elizabeth and Mary both realized they were lesbians, around the same time. Mary came to Rio, met Lota, a confident and rich lesbian and started living with her in her estate outside of Rio.
Lota dislikes Elizabeth as she is quite and shy & even rude to other people with her silence. But Mary tries to explain to Lota that Elizabeth takes time to open up. Elizabeth has to leave by boat in 3 days, but on the day of her departure she eats nuts at breakfast, which causes an allergic reaction putting her in the hospital.
Due to this, Elizabeth misses her boat & the next boat is 4 weeks away. Lota starts getting close to Elizabeth and also gives expensive gifts to her & unwanted attention, much to the disgust of Mary. In private, Lota admits to Elizabeth that she wants her to stay as her lover & that Lota & Mary are basically not more than roommates. Lota & Elizabeth share a passionate kiss. Mary finds out, is angry & blames Elizabeth for wrecking her life. Mary leaves for Rio. That night Elizabeth & Lota make love.
Lota decides to construct a brand new studio for Elizabeth. Mary returns & says that she has decided to accept Lota's offer, to adopt a baby together, so that Lota can have Elizabeth as her lover. Elizabeth uses Lota as an inspiration to start writing new poems at her studio. One day she sees the baby crib arrive. She is upset & gets really drunk. The baby finally arrives & wouldn't stop crying. Elizabeth figures out that her feeding bottle didn't have holes in it and she was not being fed. Thats how Elizabeth got comfortable with the baby.
Years pass & Elizabeth continues to write poems and one day wins the Pulitzer prize for her work. Clara, the baby girl grows up. To keep the peace, Lota involves Mary in a few of her Rio De Janero projects, which she gets through her politician friend Carlos (Marcello Airoldi). A few yrs later the democratic government of Brazil is overthrown in a revolution by communists supported by Lota & Carlos. Elizabeth gives a speech, protecting the freedom of democracy, at the celebratory dinner in front of all Governtment officials. This angers off Lota.
Elizabeth accepts a job to teach at NYU for 1 semester. Lota humiliates Elizabeth saying that she cant survive alone. Elizabeth leaves, & never returns to Brazil. It is implied that Elizabeth gets a new lover in her new life in NY. Mary stops Lota from pursuing Elizabeth. Lota goes into depression & is admitted to a mental hospital. She writes letters begging for Elizabeth's forgiveness, but Mary destroys the letters and they never get to Elizabeth.
Elizabeth hears of Lota's problems from Carlos & returns to Brazil. Mary stops her from seeing Lota & forces Elizabeth to return. Lota finds that Elizabeth had come and calls her. She then visits Elizabeth in NY, where she realizes that Elizabeth has taken a new lover. She commits suicide in Elizabeth's house. Elizabeth writes a poem dedicated to Lota.
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