Kafka, the younger, poorer of the two, works many jobs to support himself and his sickly mother. He is heterosexual (at least when the story begins he is). He sees Daniel, a successful financial trader, at a cafe. By chance, they later meet at a shrine where they are making offerings to dead ancestors and also by chance, they both receive the same fortune stick. Kafka can't help but see Daniel eyeing him, but their fluctuating sexual identities and Kafka's drug problem prevents him from being as close to Daniel as they both want. They are unable to physcially consummate their love, with Kafka going through several traumas--emotional and physical--throughout the film.
While the film is beautiful and well made, I think it relied too much on showing beautiful naked male bodies, and the actor playing Kafka often had to appear drunk or drugged which is hard to act and I don't think he succeeded. Many gay themed films often give their characters tragic endings and I wish they would be more positive. The film did show how the two young men had many differences in social and economic class, ways of living, sexual identity and confusion, and also a power struggle between the more affluent Daniel and the often subjugated Kafka. On another plane the two are also friends but this relationship falls apart too.
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