Director David Trueba (SOLDIERS OF SALAMINA) might have been too young to recall much of Francoist Spain of the sixties and early seventies, but he was a little older than this film's female protagonist in 1987 when Spain finally joined the European Parliament (three years after the other countries) and constructs a vivid yet minimalist picture of the period (no doubt thanks in huge part to the participation of politically-active actor José Sacristán). Journalism student Angela (María Valverde, MELISSA P.) agrees to a second meeting with acclaimed left-wing writer Miguel (Sacristán); however, he isn't interested in reading her finished interview (although he offers critique). He invites her back to the studio of a painter friend who - like much of Madrid's population - has left town for the weekend to get away from the heat. Miguel is straightforward about his motives, but the reasons for Angela's seeming consent (after initially rebuffing him) are unclear. When they find themselves trapped in the studio's bathroom - due to a malfunctioning lock - they are forced to bare more than their contrasting bodies. "Meeting someone you admire is the first step towards not admiring them anymore," Miguel tells her, and - possibly as another seduction ploy - demystifying his brilliance while also revealing a cynical bitterness towards her youth and idealism; however, Angela is neither as naive or blindly idealistic as Miguel would believe.