Mariquilla lives with his uncle in the village of Las Canteras, where she is beloved for his grace and cheerful nature. Her uncle wants her to debut in the theater, but her nervousness and shyness make her performance not a success.
The troubled story of the Churruca family, a noble lineage of brave seamen, descendants of Cosme Damián Churruca, the Spanish hero of the Battle of Trafalgar; from the Spanish-American War (1898) to the end of the Spanish Civil War (1936-39). (In 1950, a new cut of the film was released with less ideological depth and ten minutes shorter.)
Abslan and Hamed, two cousins of very different character and lives, whose families have put an end to old quarrels, become rivals for the love of the young and beautiful half-breed Aixa.