A professor of philosophy, an atheist, converts to Catholicism following a miracle: his daughter, whose leg must be amputated, is taken to Lourdes by her very religious fiancé, and is cured there.
Murcia countryside, Spain, at the end of the 19th century. Pencho, a peasant, and Xavier, son of a powerful landowner, get into a bloody fight after arguing over the distribution of irrigation water. When Xavier is injured, Pencho is forced to flee from justice.
Tobie is a hopeless daydreamer. He always has his head in the clouds, and this inevitably gets him into trouble with his employer. In the end, Tobie loses his job as a fairground performer and sinks into a state of abject despair.