A plastic surgeon goes mad when he discovers that his wife have an affair. He fakes her death and disfigure her and locks her in the cellar.

Fact and fiction collide in this exploitation flick that employs documentary footage depicting the bizarre self-flagellation rituals of the fanatical Catholic sect known as the Penitentes. Mixed with those truly disturbing sequences is a story concerning a killing in New Mexico, itself inspired by the murder of real-life reporter Carl Taylor as he worked on an article on the Penitentes.

Story of the gold strike on an immigrant's property that started the 1849 California Gold Rush.