Helena and her brother, both in their 20s, spend the summer with their mother in the city. But the happiness that the holiday usually brings has gone as their mother is terminally ill. The pressure of a possible death weighs heavily on Helena and she turns away. The room where her mother lies becomes a taboo; dirty, tainted, occupied by a body that is stripped of its dignity. In panic, Helena's brother keeps everything hidden from the outer world and nurses his mother in silence.