In the autumn of 1970, Juan, a Spanish poet living in Paris working for UNESCO, returns on vacation to his hometown, Burgos. The city is under heavy police and military surveillance due to the so-called Burgos process, a summary military trial against a group of ETA members and other militants against Francisco Franco’s regime. During his first night in Burgos, Juan has dinner with doctor Miniente, an old colleague and family friend who lives in the outskirts of the city with his wife Antonia and their only daughter Ramona. Juan is interested in Ramona, who is eighteen and shamelessly flirts with him. Dr Miniante invites him to spend the night at his house. Encouraged by Ramona’s signals Juan accepts. However once at bed he is unable to fall asleep thinking about Ramona and heads for her bedroom. She is not surprised to see him and he takes her initial favorable response as an invitation to go further. He rapes her. Since Ramona’s mother is sound sleep and her father is by then drunk nobody hear her cries for help.