In 1913 Barcelona, Alma is perhaps one of the most modern women of her day. Her husband, Dr. Leon Pardo, is a psychiatrist. This summer, he visited Vienna and became a follower of the revolutionary Dr. Sigmund Freud and his advanced theories about hysteria and sexuality. It all starts the afternoon Alma comes home and finds her husband in tears, about to disappear from her life and everyone else's. Giving no more explanation than a few incoherent mumbles, Leon runs off, leaving Alma alone and about to give birth. Salvador, Alma's brother-in-law, is also a psychiatrist; he is much more conservative than Leon--and deeply in love with Alma. The only clue they have is a manuscript about hysteria and female sexuality based on four patients: an actress with a persecution complex; a psychotic woman who tried to murder her husband; a woman with a serious crisis concerning her sexual identity; and a stranger who has discovered a terrible secret about her past. Following those signs, Alma and Sa