Set in an unnamed village in the remote countryside of Spain, the play opens in the house of a well-to-do, if somewhat faded, genteel family. Bernarda and her five unmarried daughters—Angustias, Magdalena, Amelia, Martirio, and Adela—are out attending the funeral of Bernarda’s late second husband. La Poncia (the family’s housekeeper and Bernarda’s confidant) and an unnamed Servant prepare the house for the return of the funeral party. While they work, they bemoan the demands of their overbearing mistress, who controls the entire household—daughters and staff alike—with an iron will.

While La Poncia and the Servant talk, María Josefa—Bernarda’s elderly and mentally infirm mother—calls several times from offstage, begging for someone to free her from her room. Bernarda has ordered the Servant to locked her mother up while the family is out, as Bernarda fears that her confused ramblings will embarrass the family.

La Poncia exits, and the Servant continues to clean. A Beggar Woman and her daughter enter the house to beg the Servant for scraps leftover from the funeral. The Servant turns them away, declaring that any leftovers will be for her alone. She admonishes them for dirtying up the house and drives them away.