Ana, a young foreign governess, arrives at a remote country estate nestled in the arid landscape of Castile, near Madrid. She has been hired to care for three young girls, and her arrival is warmly greeted by their mother, Luchy, played by Charo Soriano. As Ana begins settling into her new role, she is introduced to the household's atmosphere of eccentricity and secretive dynamics. José, portrayed by José Vivó, is the family's self-proclaimed voice of authority and order, who warns Ana that if she encounters any issues, she should come directly to him.
During a family dinner that evening, Ana gets her first glimpse into the peculiar personalities of her employers: three middle-aged brothers—José, Juan, and Fernando—along with their aging mother and Juan's wife, Luchy. The dinner reveals a mix of odd behaviors and underlying tensions that quietly pervade the household. That night, Ana is disturbed as Natalia, one of the daughters played by Sara Gil, screams from a nightmare. Taking advantage of the chaos, Juan, played by Fernando Fernán Gómez, who harbors an intense and uncontrollable desire, secretly enters Ana’s bedroom in a misguided attempt to pursue her. However, Ana, demonstrating calm but firm resolve, politely rejects his advances, clearly setting boundaries. Juan's inability to suppress his passions leads him to seek comfort elsewhere with Amparo, a maid in the household, adding further complexity to the family’s beneath-the-surface struggles.
Ana soon begins to receive mysterious and erotic letters signed by an anonymous admirer who claims his longing to be with her. These letters arrive with increasingly exotic postage, each from a different distant location, drawing Ana into a web of intrigue. José, who reveals that he has personally read the letters, confides in Ana that the sender is actually Juan, using the family's stamp collection as a disguise, and that he has been deceiving her. Offering protection and a modest fee, José suggests Ana care for his collection of military uniforms, which he displays proudly in his study, hinting at his own obsession with discipline and order.
The most subdued of the brothers, Fernando, portrayed by Marisa Porcel, has secluded himself in a nearby cave, where he practices mystical incantations and claims to attempt levitation. His strange rituals fascinate Ana, who is simultaneously repelled by and attracted to his outsider’s life, sensing a desire to escape the mundane and oppressive world around him. The family’s fragile unity is further tested when Fernando suffers from epilepsy and gout, and their aging mother, known as Mama, played by Rafaela Aparicio, emerges as the true matriarch. She shares stories about her sons’ childhood, shows Ana long-forgotten clothing from their youth, and hints at the deep-seated issues that have haunted their family for years.
Ana begins to manipulate the household dynamic, sometimes mocking the eccentricities of her employers while playing along with their fantasies. She even helps José with his collection, amusingly rewarding him with a medal after he frightens her by shooting at a bird. Meanwhile, Juan’s obsession with Ana manifests in increasingly bizarre and intrusive behaviors, including sneaking into her room to brush his teeth with her toothbrush. When Ana confronts him by making him read one of the secret letters aloud, she begins to understand just how unhinged he is. Later, she boldly kisses Juan and questions whether he would leave his wife for her. His response, coupled with her reminder that she is not the only woman in his life, underscores the unstable foundation of their relationship.
Her interactions with Fernando develop into a more intimate but still largely platonic bond. When the family visits Fernando’s cave, concerned that he has refused to eat, Ana notices something disturbing—Fernando has hidden a doll in the mud with its hair cut off. The girls blame wolves for the mutilation, but Ana recognizes the truth: Fernando has a fetish for hair, which explains the strange incident. These revelations deepen the sense of unease, illustrating how disconnected and troubled each family member is.
As Ana’s presence continues to threaten the household’s fragile stability, Luchy, Juan’s wife, feels overwhelmed and contemplates ending her life, overwhelmed by the chaos. Recognizing that Ana has sown discord among the brothers and endangered the family unit, Mama orders her to leave the estate. On her departure, the hostility among the family members erupts violently. Jose, Juan, and Fernando all assault Ana as she walks away—Fernando cuts off her hair as a grotesque act, Juan rapes her in a brutal assault, and Jose, in one of the most gripping moments, holds a pistol to her head and shoots. The story closes with a haunting freeze-frame of Ana’s agonized face, capturing her suffering and the tragic culmination of the family’s disturbed existence.
