Germán Cipriano Gómez Valdés Castillo, a young radio announcer from Cuidad Juárez, succeeds in drawing attention to the pachuco movement through his character Tin Tan, laying the groundwork for a new form of binational and mass linguistic expression: Spanglish. He soon became a leading figure in theater and film on the American Continent. Singled out by critics as a destroyer of the language, he quickly won the approval of the public. His ability to improvise revolutionized the film industry. His talent as an actor, singer, dancer and comedian contributed to the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema. From El Hijo Desobediente to Capitán Mantarraya, from Cuidad Juárez to Havana, from mambo to rock, the legacy of Tin Tan makes him one of the great icons of Mexico today. This film tells his story as it has never been told before.
El viejo capitán Mantarraya cuenta una de sus aventuras a unos niños: un día lo contrató una turista paralítica y su sirviente negro para ir a un lugar terrible al que nadie quería acercarse. Con dificultades consiguió tripulación, y zarpó, y tras vencer numerosos peligros arribó a una isla desierta donde la turista se convirtió en sirena y su ayudante en pez vela.
