The novel surrounds the death of a young couple's marriage and the way in which the failure mentally cripples the wife, Olga. When Mario, her husband, first tells Olga that he is leaving her and their two kids, she thinks he's joking. He wasn't. She soon discovers that he left for another woman, who turns out to be the daughter of one of his co-workers. Apparently, Mario and Carla, this new girlfriend, had met when they were teenagers. Their previous relationship just resumed in place and escalated quickly, much to the despair of Olga.
Olga starts to lose her sense of identity and all semblance of confidence. She blames herself for Mario's departure. While their marriage hadn't been a happy or healthy one, it had maintained order in her life. She misses him. When she runs into Mario and Carla on the street one day, Olga snaps and violently attacks them. In a calmer mental space later, she feels worthless and pities herself for behaving so poorly. This state of degradation leads her to pursue her neighbor, Carrano, and seduce him. He comes over and they try to have sex, but he is unable to perform and goes home.
Nothing is helping Olga recover from her husband's departure. She drifts farther and farther inside herself, withdrawing from everyone and everything around her. She becomes paranoid. When both her son and her dog become sick on the same evening, she convinces herself that they have been poisoned. Frantic to save them both, she gets her key stuck in the door lock, so she is trapped inside the apartment. Then she discovers that her phone line is down, and her cell phone is broken. With no hope in sight, Olga has a panic attack. Unable to save her son or her dog, she melts down and cannot focus. Somehow she recovers and unlocks the door. In just the nick of time, her son is saved, but the dog dies in the ordeal.
This event is a turning point for Olga. The self-reliance she finds in that moment of desperation in her apartment stays with her. Gradually she puts her life back in order. Firstly, she gains joint custody over her children with Mario. All the little details of daily life become manageable again. As she recovers, Olga is encouraged by her friends to start dating again. After multiple failed set-ups, she feels worthless again. At a concert one day, though, she accidentally runs into her neighbor. Deciding to give him a second chance, Olga discovers that she can see a future with him. The book concludes with Olga and Carrano pursuing a relationship together.
