The plot begins in the isolated enclave of —a humble shrine carved into rock—where the mutilated body of a woman is discovered. She was killed while performing an ancient fertility rite. The killer leaves behind a gruesome signature: her torso is opened and emptied, with her hands placed in a gesture of surrender that mimics the famous sculptures by Jorge Oteiza on the facade of the Sanctuary of Arantzazu . Most unsettlingly, the killer takes a physical mold or "copy" of the victim's face at the exact moment of death. Key Plot Elements: