Two very different men are cell-mates in a Latin American prison: Luis Molina is a gay window-dresser jailed on a morals charge, while Valentin is a left-wing journalist accused of subversive revolutionary activities. To escape reality, Molina re-enacts a melodramatic film, impersonating its glamorous, but politically dubious heroine. Valentin's machismo and political convictions at first make him suspicious of Molina, but he gradually succumbs to his cell-mate's kindness, and the two men develop a bond of friendship and respect for their sexual and social differences.