Admunsen, Vázquez Montalbán's alter ego and protagonist of the novel, is a young intellectual frustrated between the alienating demands of consumer society, personal fulfillment and political awareness. After spending a couple of years in prison, his life unfolds in a series of failed attempts to develop as a writer, rebuild his relationship and avoid pressure to integrate into the system, until, disenchanted, he will have to decide whether to get involved in the cause or renounce his principles and endanger his moral integrity.