In an isolated village in Extremadura, the Jiménez and Fuentes families have a violent history of land disputes, jealousy, envy, and violence. The hatred between the two families begins in the 1960s as a love story, between Amadeo Jiménez and Luciana Fuentes. Their romance ends when the fickle Amadeo drops Luciana, when she already has prepared for marriage. Feeling betrayed, Luciana expresses a vengeful wish on her seducer in the presence of her fragmented, devoted brother Jerónimo who, in turn, executes his sister's wish, resulting in the young man's cold and brutal murder in an open field.