You have to love Terrance Malick’s vision and depth of meaning in films. It looks like his latest has that AND a plot:

Once there was a young prince whose father, the king of the East, sent him down into Egypt to find a pearl. But when the prince arrived, the people poured him a cup. Drinking it, he forgot he was the son of a king, forgot about the pearl and fell into a deep sleep.

Rick’s (Christian Bale) father used to read this story to him as a boy.

The road to the East stretches out before him. Will he set forth?

The awkward title seems to be derived from tarot reading:

Knight of Cups: In general the Knight of Cups would tell you that things are going to be going well. You are likely to be feeling charged up, ready for action. This card often means that good news (particularly in the realm of matters of the heart) is likely to be headed your way soon.