In 2004, Iván, a Havana journalist and veterinarian's assistant, recalls a man with two beautiful Russian dogs he befriended in 1977 who told him unknown details about the death of Trotsky and about Ramón Mercader, the assassin.

When Havana police detective Mario Conde investigates the murder of the transvestite son of a prominent Cuban diplomat, he discovers Havana's gay and transvestite subculture and unexpectedly finds himself drawn to the way of life.