A dusty factory town in the Monegros desert. José Luis (Jordi Molla), heir to the underwear factory, impregnates factory worker Silvia (Penelope Cruz). His mother Conchita (Stefania Sandrelli) refuses to let him marry the low-rent girl, daughter of town prostitute Carmen (Anna Galiena). So Conchita hires stud muffin Raúl (Javier Bardem) to seduce Silvia. The ambitious Raúl complies, servicing Conchita on the side. What is poor José Luis to do, except seek comfort in the arms of Carmen? With this riotous lampoon of a tawdry soap opera, Spanish provocateur Bigas Luna skewered the moral hypocrisy of his native country. Performing au naturel in her screen debut, Cruz became an overnight sex symbol as did Javier Bardem, whom she would marry eighteen years later. And Jamón Jamón became an international sensation, winning the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival.