In a measly Castilian village, the farmer Juan Castilla, his wife Acacia, a son and a blind grandfather, live the lives of poor farmers. Because of a litigation with the local petty tyrant, Juan ends up in jail. Then his wife leaves the village, in which seems to weigh a curse. When, three years later, Juan meets her with another man in a tavern, he forces her to return home and maintain appearances until grandfather's death.