As her marriage crumbles under the strain of repeated failed attempts to conceive, Sonja finds herself trapped between the weight of infertility and the cruelty of her domineering mother-in-law. Her search through the family's past uncovers a long-buried tragedy whose truth threatens to destroy everything, or finally set them free.

After spending ten years working abroad, Milisav Papić returns to his rural hometown. While delivering a letter from a fellow worker to Velja Ranković, whose son remained in Germany, he meets Velja's daughter Sonja (22) and falls in love with her at first sight. Convinced that Milisav can offer his daughter a secure future, Velja gives his blessing to their marriage. Following the wedding, Sonja moves into Milisav's family home, where they live with his mother Olga in a remote village. The years pass, but Sonja and Milisav remain childless. Olga seizes on their infertility as an excuse to humiliate Sonja at every opportunity, branding her barren and insisting that Milisav send her back to her father. After witnessing one such outburst, Dušan, the village's holy fool, quietly tells Sonja that the childlessness is not her fault. Before he can reveal anything more, Olga interrupts him, but his words take root in Sonja's mind. As the years go by, life under Olga's roof becomes increasingly unbearable. Sonja and Milisav consult doctor after doctor, only to hear the same verdict: there is nothing medically wrong with either of them. With no rational explanation for why she cannot conceive, Sonja finds herself haunted by Dušan's words.

Dok joj se brak raspada pod teretom neuspjelih pokušaja da zatrudni, Sonja se nalazi zarobljena između tereta neplodnosti i surovosti dominantne svekrve. Njena potraga kroz prošlost porodice otkriva davno zakopanu tragediju čija istina prijeti da uništi sve, ili da ih konačno oslobodi.

Nakon deset godina rada u inostranstvu, Milisav Papić vraća se u svoje rodno selo. Dok predaje pismo jednog radnika Velji Rankoviću, čiji je sin ostao u Njemačkoj, upoznaje Veljinu kćerku Sonju (22) i zaljubljuje se na prvi pogled. Uvjeren da Milisav njegovoj kćerki može obezbijediti sigurnu budućnost, Velja blagosilja njihov brak. Poslije vjenčanja Sonja se seli u Milisavljevu porodičnu kuću, gdje žive sa njegovom majkom Olgom u zabačenom selu. Godine prolaze, a Sonja i Milisav ostaju bez djece. Olga njihovu neplodnost koristi kao izgovor da Sonju ponižava svakom prilikom, naziva je nerotkinjom i insistira da je Milisav vrati ocu. Nakon jednog takvog ispada, seoski jurodivi Dušan tiho kaže Sonji da nerotkinja nije ona. Prije nego što stigne da otkrije više, Olga ga prekida, ali njegove riječi ostaju u Sonjinoj glavi. Kako godine prolaze, život pod Olginim krovom postaje sve nepodnošljiviji. Sonja i Milisav obilaze ljekare, ali uvijek čuju istu dijagnozu: medicinski, sa njima je sve u redu. Bez razumnog objašnjenja zašto ne može da zatrudni, Sonju sve više progone Dušanove riječi.