José Rivero

Emilia and Villalba (Margarita Xirgu and Ricardo Puga) have had a happy marriage until the murder of the prostitute Lilí casted a shadow over it. Her brother, Augusto, is accused of the crime and sentenced to prison. Emilia receives the terrible news by letter through Doctor Morales, who has received a mail from Augusto in which he pleads not guilty and implores help. Request that faces Villalba’s firm opposition to get involved with a matter related to a courtier.

Clara, widow duchess of Santauro, has confined her daughter Margarita, of great beauty, in the Royal Boarding School, where she goes to take her out and to make her debut already. So that it does not affect the reputation of her daughter, she breaks off her affair with Luis de Castro, a “don Juan of today”, blackmailer an d a drunkard. The duchess decides to celebrate a party, where Luis meets Margarita and seduces her. Clara receives Luis at home in order to ask him for her letters. Margarita, who sees him arriving, thinks he is coming to ask for her hand to her mother, an d hidden listens the conversation. Such is the disillusion that Margarita falls ill and goes mad.

Rolando, head of the republican party, saves the life to the young queen Alexia when her horse bolts. Both fall in love but his principles do not let him to bec ome a king. On the other side, the Great Duke aspires to marry his son with the queen and conspires to impose a conservative government. Alexia, alarmed by popular disaff ection to the Crown, turns to Rolando and offers him to form government, but he does not accept to rule with a monarchy. The Great Duke obtains the power and fo rces the queen to celebrate the betrothal with his son. The action is miscarried by a re volt of the troops and another one of the republicans, being Rolando the one wh o at the last moment bursts in the throne room and prevents the bloodshed. After that remains sealed in public the love between the queen and the republican.