Juan, a Spanish poet working for UNESCO in Paris, makes a return trip to his hometown of Burgos during the autumn of 1970. His visit coincides with a tense political climate, as the city is tightly monitored by police and military forces due to the ongoing Burgos process, a summary military trial targeting members of ETA and other anti-Franco militants. This atmosphere of repression sets the stage for a story filled with personal and political turmoil.
On his first night back, Juan shares a dinner with Dr. Muniente, played by Emilio Gutiérrez Caba, a longtime colleague and family friend. They dine at Dr. Muniente’s house located on the outskirts of Burgos, where he lives with his wife, Mary Carmen Ramírez, and their daughter, Ramona, a lively eighteen-year-old girl with a bold personality. The dinner takes a complicated turn when Ramona flirts openly with Juan, creating a tense but flirtatious atmosphere.
As the evening progresses, Juan prepares to leave but encounters mechanical issues with his rental car. Dr. Muniente kindly offers him shelter for the night, and Juan accepts, buoyed by Ramona’s provocative signals. However, during the night, Juan is unable to sleep and, driven by impulsive feelings, he sneaks into Ramona’s bedroom. She is unsurprised to see him and, initially receptive, allows him to become intimate with her. Unfortunately, the encounter takes a dark turn when Juan, overwhelmed and regretful, rapes Ramona, who is too frightened and shocked to resist. Her cries for help go unheard, with her mother sleeping soundly nearby and her father too intoxicated to notice.
Believing that he might have harmed Ramona fatally, Juan is visibly shaken and panics. He tries to flee the house, only to be confronted by Dr. Muniente, who remains unaware of what transpired that night. Dr. Muniente, in a drunken state, insists on going to a nearby brothel, and Juan, feeling trapped and confused, reluctantly agrees to drive him. Their journey is interrupted when they are stopped and questioned briefly by civil guards, but they are allowed to continue. As dawn breaks, Dr. Muniente’s insistence on partying intensifies, leading to a heated argument. In a moment of despair and rage, Juan strikes his heavily intoxicated friend and, in a desperate act, drives him to a bridge, places him at the wheel of the car, and pushes it into the river, killing him.
By early morning, Juan, overwhelmed by guilt and fear, hitchhikes back to his mother’s house. His sister, Cristina, played by Carla Sanchez, who secretly opposes Franco’s regime as part of an illicit Communist movement, is following the political news with concern, especially the Burgos process trial. Ramona, meanwhile, searches for Juan, expressing her feelings openly—she assures him she is uninjured, feels a genuine love for him, and does not regret what happened between them. She asks for understanding, revealing her passionate attachment despite the betrayal they’ve committed.
Ramona’s mother, frantic and desperate, is also searching for her missing daughter. Meanwhile, a police inspector is skeptical about Dr. Muniente's death, suspecting foul play rather than an accident. Juan finds himself under intense interrogation, with authorities pressing him for a confession. However, he is ultimately spared when Ramona comes forward with an alibi, shielding him from suspicion. On a parallel track, Juan’s sister is striving to escape Spain with the clandestine footage she has managed to acquire, exposing the brutalities of the Burgos trial in hopes of bringing international attention to the regime’s abuses.
Throughout this tense and emotional narrative, Juan's internal conflict unfolds amidst the backdrop of a repressive political environment. His actions and their consequences highlight themes of guilt, innocence, love, and betrayal in a society fraught with violence and repression. The film captures a snapshot of a personal tragedy set against the broader struggle for democracy and justice during a dark chapter in Spanish history.
