An ambitious actor, Alberto, who as a young man was involved in left wing political activities, now dreams of gaining fame by establishing his own company. At a spiritualist seance, he places himself under the orders of a protective spirit, who promises him all he wants to achieve.

At the order of the spirit, he marries a young woman. Sara, and sets out with her for Colombia. On the way their car breaks down, and the couple continue their way on foot. until they find shelter in the house of an old woman. Stranded in the village, Alberto becomes involved first with the death of a young man, which arouses the fury of the inhabitants, then with the plight of the villagers who, on the brink of starvation, are waiting for the reopening of the local mines.

Self doubt, old memories, and increasing depression drive him to near madness and suicide . . In the nightmare episodes of the film, the hero's whole existence, the very meaning of his life, is examined, and the story could be also seen as a battle between Alberto's id and super-ego. Clara Posani, in her first film, presents her tale in a complex form, which is further complicated by the manner in which the visual material is counterpointed by the soundtrack.