Hélène,aka "the Spider" ,is an energetic old gypsy lady ,at the head of a gang of smugglers who works around the French /Spanish border. She rules her men with a rod of iron. An unwed soon-to-be mother ,Inès ,is welcomed by the old lady:she will "work" with the others, for a beautiful woman can be useful to move the customs men .But this newcomer is pregnant by an old beau from a desirable mansion in the neighborhood.The abandoned woman gives birth to a baby girl .A few years later, the shameful father,whose union is sterile,covets his illegal daughter.