In the Time of the Butterflies

The film opens with a reverent montage of the real victims of the dictatorship, establishing a solemn tone and framing the Mirabal sisters within a history of fear, sacrifice, and memory.

We follow Minerva, Patria, Dedé, and Maté growing up on a farm in Ojo De Agua. Minerva emerges as outspoken and ambitious, pushing to send her sisters to boarding school and dreaming of a future where women can study and lead.

At a formal ball, Minerva refuses to bow to the dictator, signaling her growing defiance. Trujillo retaliates with a public display of power that exposes how the regime polices personal dignity and ambition.

The next day, Captain Peña arrives at the Mirabal family farm to seize Minerva’s father, Enrique Mirabal, throwing the family into fear and confrontation with the regime’s authorities.

A dangerous option emerges: Minerva can win her father’s freedom by spending time at the palace, with a gamble hinging on a dice roll. She makes the bold wager, hoping for relief for her family and a path to law school.

Though the gamble seems to grant release, Minerva’s father has been tortured and dies soon after, a tragic blow that sharpens her resolve and deepens her hatred for the regime.

Minerva learns that her late partner Lio Virgilio was killed by regime agents on foreign soil, a revelation that expands her sense of resistance and links her to a broader circle of dissidents.

As Minerva pursues legal studies, she encounters fellow dreamers and dissidents connected to the resistance. She forms a bond with Manolo Tavárez, whose warmth and shared purpose bolster her commitment to justice.

During the law school graduation, Trujillo himself is present to hand out diplomas but denies Minerva the right to practice law, underscoring the regime’s contempt for educated, defiant women.

Minerva, Maté, and Patria’s courage solidifies into a frontline movement that inspires prisoners and everyday people alike, earning the Butterfly as a symbol of resilience and courage.

Arrests and intermittent releases punctuate the sisters’ lives as Minerva, Maté, and others in their circle are detained, interrogated, and pressured, yet their resolve only hardens.

On a desolate road, Minerva, Patria, and Maté are surrounded and brutally killed by a large group of police and soldiers under Trujillo’s regime. Their deaths become a stark reminder of the cost of defiance and illuminate their lasting legacy in the struggle for justice.