As in her first novel, but this time from the perspective of a younger, self-assured generation, Maria Barbal once again tackles the significant themes of crumbling traditions, the loss of familial closeness, and love. Rita - she could be the granddaughter of Conxa, the main character in "Like a Stone in the Gravel" - has to live from early childhood with her mother's closed-off nature, her dismissive silence, and her inability to feel joy or even love. In a series of attempts, through conversations, questions, and memories, the daughter tries to uncover the mystery behind this oppressive behavior and discovers her mother's "inner land," marked by abandonment, loneliness, and grief for the father who was taken during the Civil War and never returned, as well as despair over the family that lost their home and sense of normalcy due to the war.