Little Francisca learns about anatomy in a truly peculiar way. Her mother, a former surgeon, educates her with the help of a severed cow's head on the kitchen table. A mysterious visitor brings another type of trauma to their twisted and secluded home. Years later, Francisca tries to connect with the world – but what will she do to it? The American Gothic in a lavishly sharp black-and-white play of shadows surpasses the dimensions of the horror genre.