May 1940, a mother is on the run with her two little girls. Due to a lack of gasoline she can't go far and harbours her children near a Lourdes grotto.
A retired San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her.
After having lost her mother Magdalena was brought up on strict boarding school disciplines. When returning to her father, she is looked after by an educator who lacks the ability to guide the longing for love of an adolescent girl.