Death and the Maiden tells the story of Paulina, who had been tortured and raped by soldiers of a military regime. Fifteen years later, after the coup, Paulina is still greatly tormented by the trauma of her past ill-treatment. One day, while on holiday she and her husband, Gery, comes across Miranda, a doctor who works for the military and who was her rapist. Will she succeed in her efforts to bring him to trial?