1943, Chernovitz. Fleeing deportation, Yulia entrusts her son Hugo, 11, to a childhood friend, Mariana, who prostitutes herself in a brothel. Locked away in the small closet of Mariana's bedroom, his existence hangs on the noises and scenes hears through the walls. With imagination as his only resource, Hugo becomes aware of both the massacres taking place and the mysteries of sexuality. When day breaks, Mariana invites him into her room, wrapping him in softness and voluptuousness.