Though a single parent and a poor washerwoman, Rosalia did not allow the threat of being left alone to compel her to discourage her son from having a relationship with a girl. But when romance knocks on Rosalia's door, Billy responds with rage. At her mature age, Rosalia never expected to be torn between listening to her son's valid reasoning and rewarding her sacrifices by succumbing to a kind of joy she has not experienced in a long time.