Butterfly is a film that is simultaneously sensual and historical, sexual and political. Lesbian desire intersects with the oppressive political reality of mainland China, climaxing in Tiananmen Square; a woman’s personal history of love and loss, marriage and divorce overlaps with never-ending struggles with society and history.
 Flavia, a thirty-year-old high school teacher, lives with her husband and young daughter. One day, a chance encounter at the supermarket with a young woman named Yip arouses long dormant desire and hidden memories. For three blissful years after high school, Flavia had had an intense and erotic relationship with a woman named Jin. Their strong emotional connection and fierce desire began to fray after the family found out about the couple and Jin became deeply involved in activism. When Jin decided to devote herself to Buddhism, the dissolution of their relationship left an indelible scar on Flavia’s heart. Flavia’s personal history is reflected and echoed by others’ experiences: the unhappy marriage of her mother, two runaways, and Yip. In the end, Flavia quietly makes a life-altering decision.
 Through visual richness, sensual music, a sophisticated use of flashback that underscores the inseparability of the past and the present, Butterfly takes a daring look at lesbian sexuality and the inner lives of women and asks us: Are you honest with your own desire? (Joo You-shin)