Watch The House of the Spirits

The House of The Spirits documents the Trubela family in Chile in the events leading up to the country's military dictatorship. Years ago, a young woman named Clara is smitten with a man named Esteban Trubela. Esteban would eventually become engaged to Clara’s sister. In order to earn money for the wedding, Esteban leaves her and her family. Clara possesses a psychic power and tells her sister Rosa about the possibility of a death in the family. The next day, Rosa dies after accidently drinking poison which was intended for their father. Devastated by the loss, Clara vowed never to speak again.

Meanwhile, Esteban works to make his Hacienda a successful one. He has an affair with a prostitute who continuously loans her money in order for her to start a new career. He also abuses and rapes a subordinate working at his home. Twenty years later, Esteban receives news of his mother's death. At the funeral, he and Clara reunite for the first time. Esteban then asks Clara to marry him, but Clara is unsure about taking care of Esteban because of her health. Eventually, the two marry. Esteban’s sister, Ferula, is concerned about her own future and worries about Clara. The two befriend each other. However, she continues to have odd feelings about Clara. Esteban is resentful of these claims and berates Ferula for interfering with his family affairs.

When Clara becomes pregnant, she faces a tragedy when her parents were killed in an accident. Later on, Clara gives birth to a baby girl named Blanca. Throughout her childhood, Blanca is abused by Esteban. At one point, Esteban sends Blanca to a boarding school. Years later when Blanca is pregnant, Esteban, now a politician, tries to force a marriage between his daughter and the child’s father to preserve his reputation. Despite her troubles, Blanca now becomes a mother and focuses on raising her child.