Paris, 1917. Amid the carnage of World War I, some of the foremost artists have chosen to stage a boat race. At the head of the regatta is Amedeo Modigliani, seated in a bathtub pulled by a flock of ducks. But unbeknownst to the competition, he has a advantage: his young friend, the immigrant painter Chaim Soutine, is hauling the tub underwater. Disoriented and confused Chaim stumbles through the events of his life, from impoverished beginnings in an East European shtetl to wild fun times with artists. But always on the horizon is a coming storm that threatens to sweep away Chaim...