During the so-called Conquest of the Desert, Major Sarabia is sent to the Cruz del Sur fort to replace Major Molina, who was murdered at the hands of the Indians. He is the only one who can stop Santiago, "the most rebellious of the caciques of the southern border, the only one who does not accept peace with the government."
Simultaneously shot Spanish version of Tolstoy adaptation: After a woman he has formerly mistreated is sentenced for a crime a man who was part of her jury joins her on the trip to Siberia to expatiate his guilt.