She is also a single mother to Esteban, a teenager who aspires to become a writer. On Esteban's 17th birthday, he is hit and killed by a car while chasing after actress Huma Rojo for her autograph following a performance of A Streetcar Named Desire , where Rojo portrays Blanche DuBois. After tracking down the recipient, she resigns from her job and travels to Barcelona in search of Esteban's other mother, Lola, a transgender woman whom Manuela had kept secret from her son, just as she had never told Lola about the boy.
In Barcelona, Manuela reunites with her old friend Agrado, a warm and witty transgender sex worker. She also makes several new friends: Rosa, a young HIV positive nun who works in a shelter for battered sex workers and is pregnant with Lola's child; Huma Rojo, the actress her son had admired; and Nina Cruz, Huma's co-star and lover, who struggles with drug addiction. Manuela's life becomes entwined with theirs as she cares for Rosa during her pregnancy, works as Huma's personal assistant, or takes the stage as an understudy for Nina during one of her drug abuse crises.
On her way to the hospital, Rosa asks the taxi to stop at a park where she spots her father's dog, Sapic, and then her own father, who suffers from Alzheimer's.
He does not recognize Rosa and asks for her age and height, but Sapic recognizes her. Rosa dies giving birth to a healthy boy; at her funeral, Manuela finally reunites with Lola. Manuela tells her about their own son Esteban and his fatal accident. Manuela adopts Rosa's son, Esteban, caring for him at Rosa's parents' house.
The father does not understand who Manuela is, and Rosa's mother introduces her as the new cook who is living there with her son. Rosa's father then asks Manuela about her age and height. Manuela introduces Esteban, Rosa's son, to Lola and gives her a picture of their own Esteban.
