The film tells the story of a young accountant (Herrán) on remand pending trial for embezzlement and possibly facing 10 to 20 years in prison, a disproportionate sentence for the nature of his crime. However, this is 1977 and inside the Modelo prison it is a case of survival of the fittest. Despite everything working against his acquittal, the young man refuses to dive up and joins a group of prisoners preparing to demand amnesty. If things are changing outside the prison, they must also change inside. This becomes COPEL, the Coordination of Fighting Prisoners.