During Christmas dinner, an Argentinian family finds out that their millionaire uncle has died. His relatives speculate about his generous inheritance, but everything changes when a woman arrives at twelve and introduces herself as the deceased's wife. The head of the family, desperate about the possibility of losing everything, hides the body and forces the others to simulate a kidnapping. The plan is that, this way, the inheritance would be returned in the form of ransom payment. A bag of money appears and the plan seems infallible, but it falls into crisis when everyone wants to take their part.

In 1976, as Argentina descends into violence and chaos, a world-weary English teacher regains his compassion for others thanks to an unlikely friendship with a penguin.