En el mágico puerto de Valparaíso, un padre achacoso y siempre en cama observa, mediante espejos, hasta el mínimo movimiento en la casa. Su hijo el gordo y la vecina, una viuda algo mayor, se desean y se buscan, conformando un mundo de asfixias y costumbres que, luego de someterse a un ánimo de rebelión, terminará por apretar sus cadenas.
In this static drama, Don Arnaldo is a mildly impoverished retired naval officer living in Valparaiso with his unmarried son. He is a possessive, tyrannical father, and keeps watch over his house by means of a network of mirrors, making it virtually impossible for his much-harassed son to form an alliance with the widow next door.