Set in a hacienda or ranch, this drama tells the story of Maria, a woman who returns to the house where she spent a short time as a girl to discover some secrets about her aunt, the title character, who died and left the property to her.

It was selected as the Venezuelan entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 58th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.

Maria is haunted by flashbacks to her childhood, when she spent several months at the hacienda in the company of only the beautiful and mysterious Oriana and Fidelia, a quarrelsome old retainer who constantly hints at terrible events that are best forgotten.

The film is generally referred to as a Venezuelan gothic love story, probably for the elements of the storyline but also for the narrative used on it and the camera work that creates a dark atmosphere through it.

Nonetheless, there were critics that did not find the film quite likeable and complained about the slow rhythm and the structure of it, that is at some point hard to follow.