Arousa Island, August 1971. The apparent normality of the island hints at the secrets of its inhabitants, whispered truths that cannot be revealed. María, a corpulent woman of some 40 years of age, helps women to deliver babies, accompanying every contraction, every effort and birth with her own sweat and body. Sometimes, in the silence of the night, she performs clandestine abortions. One morning María is accused of a young girl’s death and has to flee from the island. María sets out on an overland escape route with the idea of crossing the border by one of the contraband routes running between Galicia and Portugal.