Spain during the Civil War in the spring of 1938. 12-year-old Carol’s mother is seriously ill; she and Carol are paying a visit to where her mother grew up – for Carol it is the first time she has seen her mother’s homeland. Carol has been brought up in New York; her father is fighting with the International Brigade. Even here in the countryside, far away from the frontline, the war is ever-present. Carol’s conservative middle-class family is loyal to General Franco; only grandfather is on the side of the Republicans.
When her mother dies, Carol asks the old man not to tell her father. Instead, she continues to write him letters in her dead mother’s name – she doesn’t want to give him any more to worry about. Carol is obliged to watch her grandfather being abused again and again by Franco’s supporters. The only ray of hope in her life are three boys from the neighbourhood whom the rebellious Carol manages to befriend. One of the boys, Tomiche, is the same age as Carol; his father was executed by the Falangists.
After the Republican defeat, Carol’s father seeks refuge at the home of one of the boys. He is overjoyed to be able to take his daughter in his arms again. However, the supporters of the new government are already hot on his heels. In an attempt to save her father, Carol and Tomiche decide to trick his persecutors into revealing their identity. But their plot has fatal consequences: Tomiche is hit by a stray bullet and dies. Carol returns to New York – but she will never forget Tomiche...