Dana Rotberg

In a small New Zealand town in the early 20th century, three very different women -- a Maori medicine woman, a wealthy, sharp-tongued white housewife, and a controlling housekeeper -- are brought together by a scandalous secret. (tiff.net)

In the movie, circus-born Alma is a performer at the Fantasia Circus. Her mother has left her, and she is having an affair with her father, who is ill. When he dies, she is pregnant by him, which everyone in the troupe can easily figure out. Shunned by her peers, she takes to the streets as a fire-eater and then joins up with a wandering marionette troupe, led by Refugio... (allmovie.com)

Otilia is a sensual young girl with an ideal body whose face is marred by an enormous mole. As a result, Otilia grows up friendless, except for the companionship of Melquiades, a young man employed by her family. Rich landowner Don Isaac arranges for Otilia's marriage to the local police chief, Isidro. A cruel and venal man, Isidro infects his young wife with a venereal disease that renders her sterile... (imdb)