On the same night that a dismembered and decapitated body is found in the city streets, Maria José wakes up startled by the absence of her mother. The authorities try to find the author of this heinous crime, but soon they will face unexpected circum- stances. With a Hitchcockian touch, this psychological horror film, with both gore and absurd humor, is inspired by a true story that horrified Portugal in the mid-nineteenth century.