After 23 years working as housemaid in an upper class Santiago, Chilean household, Raquel is as much a part of the Valdez family as the wife, husband, and kids she that lives with and looks after. On Raquel’s 41st birthday, Pilar Valdez, her husband Mundo and their oldest son Lucas force the sullen, withdrawn maid to emerge from her kitchen sanctum and join the whole family for a brief celebration. But Raquel’s discomfort is as strong as her family’s need to acknowledge their awkward dependence on her. When Raquel becomes unable to care for the house alone new help is hired and this throws her into a jealous frenzy. The seemingly happy home soon becomes the stage for Raquel’s darkly comedic tricks as she drives away anyone who tries to take her place. This takes a toll on the children, some of whom she loves and others of whom she disdains. Trapped by guilt, matriarch Pilar refuses to fire Raquel even though it is clear their maid is slowly unraveling. However it is the third hire, Lucy, whose sunny disposition and deep bond with her own family, creates a change in Raquel. The two grow close and the family sees their once disgruntled caretaker full of life again. Yet as Lucy becomes homesick, Raquel is faced with solitude again and must choose to return to her old ways or embrace a new way of life.