La Francisca, a Chilean Youth

Apart from the usual earthquakes, nothing much happens in Francisca’s hometown of Tocopilla on the edge of the Atacama Desert. The 19-year-old dreams of exploring the world, even if it is just the nearest big city. The only reason for staying in Tocopilla is her little brother Diego, whose autistic features are becoming increasingly worrying for the family. He does not speak and only expresses himself in pictures. His new teacher Fernando is very ambitious and takes a liking to Diego. He suggests to Francisca’s family that the boy should be given special support in individual lessons. When Francisca meets attractive Tato, her hopes of leaving the town seem to be fulfilled. But for Tato, this love affair is just one of many others. Francisca is disillusioned and follows her mother's advice: “You have to socialise again, have fun and garner new ideas.” She rushes headlong into an adventure, not noticing that her brother is getting worse. When she finally returns home, Diego has disappeared