Terrified Pilar hastily packs a small bag in the middle of the night, grabs her sleeping young son out of his bed, and flees across town as if her life depends on it. It isn't clear what or who Pilar is running from until she reaches the sanctuary of her sister's house. As Pilar breaks down and Ana begins to grasp her sister's turmoil, the source of Pilar's fear has caught up with her. Banging on Ana's front door is Pilar's husband, Antonio, who in a fit of rage begins screaming for Pilar to return home with him. But Pilar holds tight. With Ana's support, Pilar is determined to save herself from Antonio's unprovoked rage. Quickly settled into Ana's spare bedroom, Pilar sets off to find work, which leads her to a new career as museum guide and, in time, a greater sense of self. Yet the very passionate Antonio is far from a one-dimensional brute, and the bond between Pilar and Antonio is deep, inextricably tangling love, eroticism, and submissiveness. Their relationship has always been a potent mix of love and danger, but when Antonio begins to attend therapy sessions, he's eventually able to convince Pilar that he's changing and that the abuse will stop. Deeply in love, Pilar is persuaded to return to him.