 The elderly heir of a formerly wealthy and respected Chilean family, Andres, suffers decadence and solitude. He hires young Estela in order to look after his tiranic and almost crazy grandmother. The differences in clas and age don t stop Andres from courting Estela, whose fiancee Mario tries to make some money with the passions of his well-off rival. The suffocating athmosphere of the run-down mansion in the outskirts of Santiago represents the deterioration of the Burgoisie, and sets the scene for the total collaps of Andres.