The film depicts a single day inside Peru's Canto Grande prison, focusing on women who were guerrillas with the Maoist Shining Path. It follows their daily routines, from morning marches to evening chants, as they maintain a defiant sense of not being imprisoned. Their cellblocks are presented as a continuation of the Shining Path's armed struggle – "shining trenches of combat." The film explores the rigorous indoctrination and deeply held beliefs that fueled this brutal Latin American insurgency.