Raimunda (Penélope Cruz) lives and works in Madrid with her husband Paco and their daughter, Paula. Raimunda's sister, Sole (Lola Dueñas), lives nearby. The two sisters miss their mother, Irene (Carmen Maura), who died several decades ago at a house fire along with their father. The daughters do not believe her After a former neighbor out of their hometown reports that she's seen the ghost of Irene. After a family catastrophe and a murder, however, the spirit of Irene materializes around her daughters.