A story about marital love, old age and death. Robert Samuel ('Mr. Sam') Peek, a sagacious and seasoned pecan tree grower from rural Georgia, has been married for the last 57 years or so to his college sweetheart, Cora. When she suddenly passes away, Sam becomes increasingly lonely--until he befriends a snow-white dog that strays onto the Peek property. People wonder if the animal is real or merely a figment of Mr. Sam's imagination. Then Mr. Sam and the dog take a fateful journey to a college reunion.

ACADEMY AWARD WINNER! According to Mark O'Brien, ""The two mythologies about disabled people break down to one: we can't do anything, or two: we can do everything. But the truth is, we're just human."" O'Brien was a frequently published journalist and poet, and a contributor to National Public Radio. He contracted polio in childhood and, due to post-polio syndrome, spent much of his life in an iron lung. Yet for more than forty years, he fought against illness, bureaucracy and society's conflicting perceptions of disability for his right to lead an independent life.Breathing Lessons breaks down barriers to understanding by presenting an honest and intimate portrait of a complex, intelligent, beautiful and interesting person, who happens to be disabled. Incorporating the vivid imagery of O'Brien's poetry, and his candid, wry and often profound reflections on work, sex, death and God, this provocative film asks: what makes a life worth living?