Synopsis
South American immigrants working in Spain, builder José and housekeeper Rosa have been together for a few weeks and are very much in love. Rosa's bosses, Señor and Señora Torres, leave their home on a trip, and the volatile José spends a few days at the run-down Mansion, fantasizing about what life with Rosa could be. When a violent confrontation with his foreman results in the other man's death, José flees to the mansion, telling no one. Hiding in the vast, abandoned attic he begins a secret life - half voyeur, half ghost - stealing food at night, always hidden, with only the rats for company.
He listens, he watches, ever aware of the risk of discovery.
From the shadows he observes the blighted, sad lives of Señor and Señora Torres, an elderly couple occasionally visited by their grown up children. And he observes the daily routines of Rosa's working life. The Torres family is fond of their servant, but also subject her to verbal and physical abuse. José watches, unable to act, his anger growing...
Discovering a second phone line, José calls Rosa without revealing his whereabouts. They start a new 'long distance' relationship, both yearning for the day when they can be together again. But a shocking revelation forces José to remain in hiding...