You only live once

The story of a love destroyed by terrorism, told realistically and with great subtlety. The complex political situation in Peru plays a leading role. Many roles are played by inhabitants of the village where La vida es una sola was shot.During the carnival, three members of Shining Path, the violent revolutionary party in Peru, visit the small peasant community of Rayopampa pretending to be students. During the festivities, one of the students, Aurelio, courts the village chief's daughter, Florinda. In the meantime, other members of Shining Path infiltrate the local community and form a threat to the establishment. When a senior officer gets wind of the affair and wants to act against the terrorists, a large group of them attacks the village and executes the officer. They 'liberate' Rayopampa. Then the Peruvian army arrives to regain the village. Shining Path withdraws but not without 'recruiting' several children. Florinda also goes with them; her love for Aurelio is greater than her doubts and she becomes a fully-fledged member of the group. She even executes a deserter with her own hands. But the group's fatalism starts to disgust her and in the end she leaves Aurelio and escapes. Her return to Rayopampa is however not welcomed; she is a threat to the security of the people.