这部电影根据真实事件改编，讲述了一位五十岁妇女和一位比她年轻很多的男孩之间悲惨的爱情故事。

The novel follows a woman, Modesta, who is born on 1 January 1900 and her experiences though her life in the twentieth century. The text is written for the most part in the first person (by Modesta), but sometimes also in the third person, especially in the first part of the novel.