This is movie is about the story of the people who keep on fighting after the Spanish Civil War were officially finished. They were republicans who took shelter among the mountains (principally the mountains in the north of Spain, between Asturias and León). These people were called "maquis" and defended the thought of a Spain free of the implacable fascism of the illicit military government of General Franco, who took the power in a bloody cruel civil war. Ramiro, Santiago and Gildo are the three main characters of the movie. Santiago and Gildo got killed and eventually Ramiro decided to escape to France, bored of being isolated by the democratic governments of other countries in Europe what kept General Franco in despite of the Republican Government, elected by the Spanish people and not by the power of guns.

Al término de la Guerra Civil Española (1936-1939), algunos combatientes republicanos continúan hostigando a los vencedores con operaciones guerrilleras. Una de las zonas de resistencia fueron las montañas de León. En la comarca de Riaño, media docena de maquis mantienen una lucha muy desigual contra la Guardia Civil.