Teenager and his Chilean parents live in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in exile, after his brother is killed by the military government in Chile. Years later, still haunted by the past, he undergoes a crisis when he learns his cousin had been arrested in Santiago, and quarrels with his family when he decides to know his country and the details of his past.

A young man enters an institute for the mentally ill and falls in love with a patient from whom he will distance himself after her rehabilitation.

It is afternoon at the time of the winter solstice. A small house stands on a hill overlooking the inland sea. Inside, an old man lies ill on a bed, attended by his son and daughter-in-law. Outside, another man sits by the door keeping vigil. Down on the shore, a boat is slowly being loaded with the personal possessions from the dying man's home. An old woman waits patiently nearby. After some time the son and daughter-in-law must depart, leaving the old man alone with his dreams and fading breath. His house, container of lives and memories, is closed and locked. Soon after, the old man reappears on the shore and is greeted by his wife, who has been waiting for his arrival. They board the boat that is to carry them to the Isles of the Blessed.

A young man living in a cold southern village in South America, decides to start a trip looking for his father. By doing this he discovers unexpected facts about his Latin American essence.