At a remote location in the mountains of Mexico lives Artemio, a farmer who is watching the desolate plot of land on which he works and his life itself slip from his fingers. When he receives shocking news, he decides to set off for the city in search of deliverance, but finds himself having to deal with a brutal world that is completely unknown to him.

A family lives in the Mexican countryside raising fighting bulls. Esther is in charge of running the ranch, while her husband Juan, a world-renowned poet, raises and selects the beasts. Although in an open marriage, their relationship begins to crumble when Esther falls in love with an American horsebreaker and Juan is unable to control his jealousy.