[1] Fourteen-year-old Dani is a budding painter, who looks after Captain Blay (Fernando Fernán Gómez), an ageing civil war veteran.

Blay suggests Dani draw local girl Susana, who is suffering from tuberculosis, as the subject of a poster warning of the dangers of factory smoke causing consumption.

[2] Based on the 1993 novel El embrujo de Shanghai by Juan Marsé, the screenplay was penned by the director Fernando Trueba.

[5] A joint co-production among companies from Spain, France and the United Kingdom,[5] the film was produced by Lolafilms, Shangai Spell Ltda, Pyramide Productions, and Orsan Productions and it had the participation of Antena 3 Televisión, Telemadrid and Vía Digital [es].

The film won the awards for Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyles; and was nominated for Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Production Supervision.