In the coastal town of southern Taiwan, lifelong friends Jonathan and Shane navigate the delicate balance of their friendship amid the backdrop of adolescence. A chance encounter with the spirited Carrie from Hong Kong introduces new dynamics to their lives. As Jonathan grapples with a sexual identity crisis, Shane finds love with Carrie. Secrets, unspoken desires, and the inevitable unveiling of truths force the trio to reevaluate their relationships. "Eternal Summer" unfolds a poignant tale of friendship, love, and self-discovery, exploring the agonies and ecstasies that shape the journey from youth to maturity.
Three high school students experience the agonies and ecstasies of love in director Leste Chen’s sensitive tale of friendship and yearning.
As a child living in a seaside town in southern Taiwan, studious Jonathan (Bryant Chang) was asked by his concerned teacher to look after rebellious classmate Shane (Joseph Chang). Ten years later, what was once a good-natured obligation has since blossomed into a warm friendship, with Jonathan still on the academic track and Shane now finding his calling on the basketball court.
Taiwan-born schoolgirl Carrie (Kate Yeung) arrives from Hong Kong to join her mother after a disagreement with her father and transfers to their school. She befriends Jonathan and convinces him to join her on a secret day-trip to Taipei and in the evening she seduces him in a sleazy hotel but Jonathan backs down clearly distraught. Eventually, her observations of his and Shane’s friendship leads her to believe that he is gay and in love with his best friend.
Carrie then meets Shane through Jonathan after a school day where Shane develops an interest in Carrie. Despite her initial misgivings about the boorish Shane, she eventually gives in to the troublemaker’s roguish charms. She accepts his offer to become his girlfriend on the condition that he manages to enter university.
Later, Shane pulls his act together and gets into university, while Jonathan, distracted by his burgeoning sexual identity crisis, does not. Shane does his best to keep secret his feelings for Carrie in order to protect the feelings of his lifelong friend. Despite all their best efforts to keep their personal feelings secret, the truth eventually emerges, forcing all three to view their relationships in an entirely new light.
