On his deathbed, Uncle Boonmee, recalls his many past lives.

Francesca is a pediatrician who is dedicated to both motherhood and children, married to another physician, Pedro. Following the birth of a new child, Francesca begins to suffer from postpartum depression. Following the advice of friend and psychiatrist Jean, the couple move to a new home away from the city. But Francesca's obsession with her new baby engulfs her. Regardless of Pedro's and Jean's attempts to help her, she seems to drift dangerously close to madness. And to make matters worse, she is starting to hear and see things. Furtive figures and ghostly shadows start tormenting her. The large house in which she and her family live alone seems to hide terrible secrets. Both the cellar and the attic are locked and barred to the family, and it is from both these places that Francesca receives nocturnal visits that are slowly driving her mad.

Genoan navigator Christopher Columbus has a dream to find an alternative route to sail to the Indies, by traveling west instead of east, across the unchartered Ocean sea. After failing to find backing from the Portugese, he goes to the Spanish court to ask Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand for help. After surviving a grilling from the Head of the Spanish Inquisition Tomas de Torquemada, he eventually gets the blessing from Queen Isabella and sets sail in three ships to travel into the unknown. Along the way he must deal with sabotage from Portugese spies and mutiny from a rebellious crew.

Aurora is serving a prison sentence for a robbery that went wrong. Her accomplices are outside; Ana, her sister, Gloria and Paloma; Four women for whom so far life has not been easy. Ana is a prostitute who likes money. That's why she accepts the marriage proposal of Felix, a dangerous and powerful Mexican drug trafficker who falls for her. She moves with him to live in Mexico. Gloria receives a phone call from Mexico City; it's Ana. She wants her friend to visit her. Her husband's business dealings are very lucrative and she has been thinking; there's work to be done. Aurora finishes her stretch in jail and Paloma goes to collect her; they have a flight to catch; Madrid to Mexico; Ana and Gloria are waiting. From her golden cage, between the alcohol and her husband's beatings, Ana has designed a dangerous plan to hit back at Felix and his gang. A double strike: money and revenge...

A police-escorted prisoner transport supervised by Interpol sets off to Belgrade. The route leads the transport through Pancevo, where they encounter an ecological disaster and infected people who are trying to kill them. Interpol agents Mortimer Reyes and Mina Milius soon realize that their only chance for escape from the zombie hordes lies in allying with the dangerous, mysterious prisoner.

The week of his 18th birthday, Bennie, who's a waiter on a cruise ship, has a layover in Buenos Aires. He seeks out his older brother, Tetro, whom he hasn't seen in years. Tetro, who lives with Miranda, is a burned-out case; he's hot and cold toward his brother, introducing him as a "friend," refusing to talk about their family, telling Bennie not to tell Miranda who their father is. Thoughts of their father cast a shadow over both brothers. Who is he, and what past has Tetro left behind? Bennie finds pages of Tetro's unfinished novel, and he pushes both to know his own history and to become a part of his brother's life again. What can come of Bennie's pushing?

Alexandria, 391 CE: Hypatia teaches astronomy, mathematics, and philosophy. Her student Orestes is in love with her, as is Davus, her personal slave. As the city's Christians, led by Ammonius and Cyril, gain political power, the great institutions of learning and governance may not survive. Jump ahead 20 years: Orestes, the city's prefect, has an uneasy peace with Christians, led by Cyril. The Christians enforce public morality; first they see the Jews as their obstacle, then nonbelievers. Hypatia has no interest in faith; she's concerned about the movement of celestial bodies and the brotherhood of all. What place is there for her?