Ana's father one day decides that the family will never speak Spanish again — in favor of Basque — even though the family doesn't speak a word of that language. This decree seems to stem from a desire for a radical act of political defiance, but comes off as farcical. When her brother speaks Spanish by accident, her father kicks him out of the house and makes him sleep outside. Though he could sleep inside the next night, her father realizes in earnest that his family needs to actually learn how to speak the language. As he attempts to haggle in the market in Basque the next day, he slips into Spanish and realizes that his attempts are futile, but he stubbornly holds on. That night, he tries to double down on his decree, but his heart isn't in it as much anymore. Ana tells him that it's because they find it hard to feel a connection to a language they've never spoken, even if it's an act of defiance against General Franco. He seems to relent for a moment, but his resolve sticks, and Basque stays the official language of their home. The family does their best, and largely succeeds with the language. However, no one knows what the others are saying more often than not, and they have to stoop to pantomime to be understood. The mother one day refuses to pantomime and sticks her arms directly by her side after saying a phrase that no one understands, then waddles out of the room. This becomes a new inside joke for the family, who will often shove their arms at their sides when no one can understand them. Her father was bent on fixing the radio so they could learn Basque through it, but after it was repaired no one was quite sure what was ever said, and it was deemed a failure. The family was happy living in the hills, but they moved to a tavern in town where everyone spoke Basque when her father got a job there. No one else is happy about this. The children take jobs to help out as well. On Sundays, the family gets Basque lessons from the owner of the tavern. The lessons just show them how much they still need to learn. On Ana's 13th birthday, she is given a bird in a cage. The next day, it dies and she and her brother bury it. He eventually leaves for an apprenticeship with the local tailor and the family begins to fray. Ana is sent to a secret night school to learn Basque. Her control of the language blossoms and she meets a boy named Gabriel who helps her. The other girls who work in the tavern take her and some other townspeople to a quarry that accidentally became a swimming hole when they dug too deep. Gabriel speaks to Ana in Spanish, and she cries. As time goes on, he starts to bring her little presents. Eventually, he brings a radio so that they can listen to Spanish speakers together. She coldly takes the radio and leaves him there. Ana hopes for a return to the house and language of her childhood, but knows it is too far away now and she can never have that time back.