A young Cuban woman faces the hardships of life in Cuba as she deals with her violent boyfriend, her cruel mother and her several lovers.

Gonzalo's life has been marked by the story of his mother, a Mambisa heroine of the war of 1895. After her death, he is sent to Spain. In 1931, he returns to Cuba to reclaim the family possessions and discovers the value of love and death, truth and lies, pain and hatred.