El Orfanato tells the story of a woman Laura (Belén Rueda) who moves her husband (Fernando Cayo) and adopted son (Roger Princep) into the orphanage that she grew up in, planning on opening it as a home for handicapped children. Not long after, strange things appear to occur on the property as her son starts communicating with an imaginary friend. A strange woman (Montserrat Carulla) even shows up asking about the boy and his illness. After her son goes missing, Laura struggles to uncover the secret of his disappearance and his fate, despite her husband’s growing concerns of her sanity. She even seeks the help of various parapsychologists.