Camila

The film opens with a dedication to Camila O'Gorman and Ladislao Gutiérrez, framing the tragedy that follows. The dedication sets a somber tone and signals the personal stakes of the story.

Ana is brought from a Brazilian convent to house arrest in the hacienda of her estranged son, Adolfo O'Gorman. He treats her with unveiled contempt, establishing a tense family dynamic. Camila, a baby at the time, witnesses the arrival of her grandmother and initially rejects her.

Camila has grown into a Buenos Aires socialite, encouraged by her grandmother's stories and her secret readings of romance and political refugees. She is courted by Ignacio, a wealthy man she does not love, while her friends urge her to marry for security. She longs to marry for love, and her tears reveal the conflict between desire and duty.

Camila is horrified by Rosas' state terrorism and openly critiques it, enraging her father. Her political views put her at odds with Adolfo's loyalties and ignite family tension. The clash foreshadows the personal costs of their era's politics.

During confession, Camila meets Father Ladislao Gutiérrez, a Jesuit priest. He initially rebukes her advances and struggles with his own feelings for her. He attempts penance, even as a fever weakens him.

After the funeral of her grandmother, Camila rushes to Ladislao's bedside when she learns he is ill and discovers him caressing a handkerchief she gave him. Their connection deepens as she kisses him and he does not resist. For a time they share a discreet, dangerous affection.

They abandon their old lives and elope to Corrientes Province, posing as a married couple. Ladislao works as a schoolteacher and Camila settles into a small house along a road, winning the village's admiration. The pair confront the tension between public respectability and private desire.

Ladislao's conscience reaches a crisis; he runs to the village church and screams at the Eucharist in the tabernacle. The act exposes the fragility of their secret life and draws the attention of Father Gannon, who notifies the police commandante. The authorities begin closing in on them.

The commandante warns Camila and Ladislao to flee across the Brazilian border, grateful for Ladislao's teaching and seeking to spare him. Camila frantically searches for Ladislao to relay the news and finds him kneeling in prayer at the altar, having made his peace with God. Her grief intensifies as they realize escape may be impossible.

The next morning, Ladislao returns to say goodbye, admitting that he must return to Buenos Aires and continue his priestly ministry. Camila responds that she knew what she was doing, and together they are arrested by the commandante's men. The escape plan collapses as the authorities seize them.

Adolfo demands the death penalty for his daughter, and the Church Hierarchy and political allies press for punishment. Rosas issues a decree declaring Camila and Ladislao to be shot without trial, accelerating their fate. The political machinery closes in with cold efficiency.

In a military prison, Camila learns she is carrying Ladislao's child. Although the Law of Argentina forbids executing pregnant women, Rosas refuses to delay the sentence. The prison chaplain baptizes the unborn child with holy water, and Ladislao sends a final letter affirming his love.

On 18 August 1848, Camila and Ladislao are tied to chairs, blindfolded, and shot by a firing squad in the prison courtyard. Ladislao is killed first, and Camila is killed as she is pregnant, their bodies placed in the same coffin. Their final words are echoed in voiceover, underscoring their unbroken bond until the end.