该片讲述了加比奥十八年来，把妻子和两名儿女禁锢在自己打造的贞洁堡垒之中的故事。

似乎带有政体隐喻的电影。一女三男，老爷玩游戏，所有人都当真了。

Gaspar de Carvajal, a Dominican, has not seen his family since the age of 10 when he was sent away to pursue the religious life. He attends the funeral of his father, where he notices that the body was washed, then buried in a shroud and without a coffin. Gaspar tells his confessor that he suspects his family, Jews converted to Catholicism, are still following the old ways. Father Lorenzo says this matter must be taken before the Inquisition. Alonso de Peralta, chief Inquisitor of New Spain, orders the Carvajal family arrested on the testimony of their son. Hernando, a Franciscan friar, is sent as a spy to the cell of Luis, Gaspar's brother. Luis's faith converts Hernando to Judaism. Under torture, Luis's mother Francisca confesses. Each family member renounces the Jewish heresy and is allowed to leave prison. But they are warned. If they revert to Judaism a second time, they will be burnt at the stake... Written by David Carless

年轻貌美的寡妇贝蕾丝（Martha Navarro 饰）与义母约瑟芬娜夫人生活在一所宽大的房子里，约瑟芬娜夫人老朽多病，视钱如命，靠放高利贷为生，虽然义子义女众多但身边只得贝蕾丝照顾起居。人们传言贝蕾丝放火烧死了自己的丈夫，那场火在她左脸上留下瘢痕。为约瑟芬娜服务多年的医生病故，医生之子罗德里格返乡料理后事时与贝蕾丝相见，两人心中同时萌发了对彼此的兴趣，罗德里格继承父业，得以靠近贝蕾丝，两人逐渐确定了关系。不久，约瑟芬娜病危，贝蕾丝与情人开始为将来的美好生活打算，孰料约瑟芬娜居然奇迹般转醒，这让贝蕾丝性格中潜藏的一面爆发了出来……
本片获1977年墨西哥沙龙奖金沙龙奖。