The Red Violin is a film portraying the passage over time of a “perfect violin” from the ownership of one individual to another and the events which unfold in each individual’s life due to the violin. The film opens at the current time with the Red Violin being set up for an auction. Within the auction house are individual’s from all walks of life who have each come to bid on the violin for their own reasons. Upon one of these people bidding on the violin the story changes time and setting in order to give that individual’s reasoning for wishing to own the perfect Red Violin. To further dramatize the transitions each is set off by the prophecy of a fortune teller addressing the creator of the violin’s wife.