The image of the Mariachi musician wearing tight trousers, a Sombrero and cowboy boots is one of the most famous associations with Mexican culture. Mariachi isn’t just a form of music, it’s a lifestyle. And it’s traditionally a male domain. But even back in the 50s female professional Mariachis performed the songs about death, poverty and unhappy love stories on the Plaza Garibaldi, and defied the hostility of the macho culture. This film shows María del Carmen and her colleagues performing on the streets of Mexico City against the backdrop of the Día de los Muertos, the most important Mexican holiday where death is celebrated as a part of life while showing the opposites and extremes of Mexican culture. Spending time day-to-day with these women, Dörrie gains insights into their lives and they tell her about their hopes, dreams, and their forms of resistance. Their music also holds a mirror up to the situation in their crime- and drug-ravaged country. Lending its text to the title of the film is the chorus running through the musician’s repertoire: »What a shitty life it is. It’s toying with us like puppets. Oh, this beautiful, shitty life.« A vibrant portrait of female strength, the power of music and the art of leading a fulfilled life under difficult conditions.