The story of the childhood, both real and imagined, of a girl who journeys from the loneliness of an orphanage to the poor neighborhood where a singular family takes her in: Grandmother Barbara, a woman with a powerful presence; her aunt Amanda, a weak woman submissive to her husband Segundo, a selfish thug; her cousin Chico, an aloof observer and watchman over the neighborhood's dealings; the "katami" child goddess Airelai, a dwarf woman who preserves imagination and magic in this cruel, marginal setting; and lastly the eagerly awaited and widely admired Maximo, an agent of liberation.