At 16, Matilde faces an unexpected pregnancy and, in her distress, turns to Socorro, the village midwife. In the quiet intimacy of her refuge, time stretches—through the learning of medicinal plants, fertility, and the many ways of becoming a mother. When she finally gives birth, her child is welcomed by a woman who had longed to conceive.

Matilde returns home lighter, just in time to meet her newborn sister—in an encounter that redefines her experience and reconnects her with life.