Julio Blanco (Javier Bardem), the owner of an industrial scales manufacturing business, announces to his workers that he's awaiting a visit by a committee that could give his company an award for business excellence. They meet this news with silence, because although Julio pretends to care about his employees, he actually couldn't care less about any of them and treats them poorly.

When former employee José (Óscar de la Fuente), who was laid off not long ago shows up with his his two kids to protest the factory, holding up banners stating that he wasn't treated fairly and calling Blanco a thief, it begins to look as if getting that award will be more difficult than Julio first anticipated.