Once

An unnamed Czech immigrant girl (Markéta Irglová) has a broken vacuum cleaner. She goes looking for someone to repair the problem, and finds a busking apprentice known only as Guy (Glen Hansard) instead. He, or rather his father the master repairman, quickly gets the problem taken care of. However, Guy and Girl quickly discover a common bond in music. He plays an acoustic guitar on the verge of turning to dust, and she pianos borrowed from the nearby music store. The not quite love affair is displayed logically as the duo write, hire a backing band, and eventually record a series of compositions. There is no happily ever after though, as previous relationships continue pulling at the duo through the bittersweet resolution.