Naples, in the dim light of a stately home, Zia Cuncè, a refined and religious woman, lights candles before the altar of the Black Madonna, immersed in quiet devotion.
This serenity is interrupted by the arrival of Anna, a young pregnant woman from a poor background. As their conversation unfolds, a dark secret gradually emerges: Zia Cuncè runs an illegal baby trafficking operation, selling the children of desperate women, often prostitutes, while hiding her work behind a mask of respectability and religiosity.