The film tells the touching story of Alfredito, a sacristan in a country church: in a long flashback he talks about his life and his deep love for his mother and for the Virgin Mary, both 'beloved mothers' (madres amadísimas). From the discovery of his sexual identity to his first love, from his military service to his move to the big city, his personal experience traces the history of Spain, from Franco's dictatorship to the achievement of democracy. A baroque melodrama where the protagonist's homosexuality and religious belief together form a single devotion, passionate and unwavering.

The rise to stardom of Lola Flores, one of Spain's most prestigious Flamenco singers and dancers, who died in 1995.

A gypsy who sells fish in a market, sings on weekends in a tablao. One day, a professor, exiled in Cádiz for her political ideas, offers the cantaora a job.