This is the true story of Juan Francisco Cortes from his birth in 1904 to his death in 1938 towards the end of the Spanish Civil War. In a village called Abdet about 25 km from Benidorm in southern Spain, a young couple, Felipe and Maria fall in love and as a result of their passions Maria becomes pregnant. Their parents and immediate family are horrified, as the young couple are not married. They turn to the church for advice, and Maria is sent to live with an aunt far from her home while Felipe is banished to the city of Valencia and set to work for a gang master.Maria's child is born, a young boy, but before Maria has a chance to name him he is stolen in the middle of the night. A paid employee of the Catholic Church takes the boy to the outskirts of a village some distance from Abdet and abandons the child where he knows he is likely to be found.The church has convinced Maria and Emilio's parents that it is the only way to preserve the family's honour.