一名阿根廷历史女教师原本对政治不闻不问，天真地相信课本上的一切。直到她怀疑自己的养女是一名政治犯的女儿，才开始关注这个国家的动荡现实。在调查女儿真实身份的过程中，她一步步揭露了政治腐败的真相，她对幸福生活的狭隘幻想破灭了。

　　When school teacher Harriet Winslow goes to Mexico to teach, she is kidnapped by Gen. Tomas Arroyo and his revolutionaries. An aging American, Ambrose "Old Gringo" Bierce also in Mexico, befriends Gen. Arroyo and meets Harriet. Bierce is a famous writer, who knowing that he is dying, wishes to keep his identity secret so he can determine his own fate. Though he likes Arroyo, Bierce tries to provoke the General's anger whenever possible in an attempt to get himself killed, thus avoiding suffering through his illness. Winslow is intrigued by both Bierce and Arroyo, and the men are in turn attracted to her. She becomes romantically involved with Arroyo. When Winslow learns of Bierce's true identity (a writer whose work she has loved and respected for years), she is singlemindedly determined to fulfill his dying wish.

在马德里，女作家贝拉（Aitana Sánchez-Gijón 饰）从情人乔迪那里听来了摄影师埃米利奥（Leonardo Sbaraglia 饰）的故事，埃米利奥作为反法西斯的战士，死在了1933年的西班牙。罹患乳腺癌的贝拉离开丈夫与情人，独自在病痛中探寻埃米利奥和妓女洛拉的往事……埃米利奥在一次舞会上邂逅洛拉，并将她带至荒凉的巴塔哥尼亚高原。为埃米利奥抛弃的洛拉无力改变境遇，只有和她相同身份的玛蒂尔德给予她些许安慰。某天，一只鲸鱼搁浅在海边，人们围绕着它，但却无能为力……贝拉在医院中惊讶的发现同一病室的老妇即是当年的玛蒂尔德，而不久后，又有一只鲸鱼搁浅，贝拉感到她和另一个女人的生命，在这一刻被联系到了一起……