Manuela (CECILIA ROTH) is a 38-year-old single mother who works in a medical transplant office when not tending to her 17-year-old son and aspiring writer, Esteban (ELOY AZORIN). To celebrate his recent birthday, they attend a production of "A Streetcar Named Desire" in their hometown of Madrid. Their celebration turns to tragedy, however, as Esteban is struck by a car and killed in his quest to get an autograph from lead actress Huma Rojo (MARISA PAREDES).
Distraught by her loss, Manuela returns to Barcelona where she left many years ago after getting pregnant by the boy's father, Esteban, who now goes by Lola (TONI CANTÓ), since becoming a transvestite. In her search for Lola, whom Esteban wished to know, Manuela runs into her old friend, La Agrado (ANTONIA SAN JUAN), a cross-dressing prostitute who once lived with her and Lola.
She takes Manuela to meet Sister Rosa (PENÉLOPE CRUZ) who cares for the many local prostitutes. After being introduced to Rosa's mother (ROSA MARIA SARDÁ) and senile father (FERNANDO FERNÁN GÓMEZ), Manuela manages to meet Huma as well as her drug-addicted partner and co-actor, Nina (CANDELA PEÑA), who are now in Barcelona performing the Tennessee Williams play.
Huma and Manuela immediately hit it off with the former hiring the latter as her personal assistant, much to Nina's chagrin. Soon, she's standing in as an understudy for Nina in the play and that, along with her caring for Rosa, who turns out to be pregnant and HIV-positive from an encounter with Lola, occupies most of her time. Even so, she hopes to eventually find Lola and tell him about the son he never knew he had.