Carmen and her brother are sent to live with relatives after their family breaks apart. Imprisoned in a sprawling house ruled by Grandmother and Aunt Malva - table dictators who strive to maintain absolute control over their domicile - the scene is set for a struggle between the captive teens and their unrelenting keepers. Restless and vibrant, Carmen attempts to overcome the social isolation she and her brother suffer in the iron-fisted grip of the family matriarchs. Her insouciance and budding sexuality create a powerful resistance to the bourgeois values, hypocrisy, and social imperatives that repress this uneasy household with its hilariously Kafkaesque cast of characters.

Afterword by Diamela Eltit.