ETERNAL EARTH introduces viewers to the intricacies of contemporary classical music by following Chinese-Canadian composer Alexina Louie as she writes a symphony, The Eternal Earth, commissioned by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra's musical director, Andrew Davis.

Proclaimed Composer of the Year in 1986, Louie is known for her eclectic approach and her unique mixing of Oriental sonorities and the latest in Western technology.

The film includes scenes from rehearsals as well as the world première performance of the piece at Toronto's Roy Thomson Hall in May, 1986. It illustrates the process whereby musical notation is transformed into the rich, harmonious textures and sounds that audiences hear.