In Madrid, Manuel Sánchez, a widower with six children and an elderly father, struggles to support his large family with his meager salary as member of the Spanish army.

When Captain Sánchez realizes what is going on between the widower and Maria Luisa, he convinces his daughter to trap Jalón in one of their skims and blackmail him for a large amount of money.

All is happening according to plan, but when the captain overhears the sincere love confession of Jalón for his daughter asking to marry him, he becomes outraged.

Captain Sánchez throws the severed head into the fire, and hides the mutilated body on the cellar behind a wall.

The disappearance of Jalón causes intrigue among the people who knew him, particularly at the casino, where it is a well-known fact that he has not claimed the money from his gambling wins.

After Captain Sánchez is executed in an open field, Maria Luisa receives the rosary her father held up to the end.