A matador named Manuel goes into the office of a man named Retana, who controls the matador fights. Manuel has just gotten back from the hospital, where his leg was almost removed after he got injured in a bullfight. Manuel asks Retana if he can put him on any of the fights, and Retana will only give him a "nocturnal" fight the next night. Manual is hesitant, because he thinks that substituting for another fighter is bad luck, but he accepts the job for little pay. When he leaves Retana's office, he goes to a café and asks for a man named Zurito. The servers tell Manuel that Zurito will not be back until the afternoon. They talk about the new, young bullfighters and which ones are best. Manuel drinks, and falls asleep. When he wakes up, Zurito is sitting across from him. Manuel asks Zurito to be a picador for him at the bullfight. Zurito refuses at first, saying that Manuel is too old do be fighting and he should cut off his coleta ponytail. Manuel says that he cannot stop, but if he does not go big the next night he will quit. He assures Zurito that before he went to the hospital, he was doing well. Zurito agrees to pic for him. They eat and watch a show together, and then go to the bullfighting ring. Manuel does well in the first half of the fight. However, in the second half when he is trying to stab the bull with the sword, he keeps hitting bone and not getting the bull. At one point, he falls and the bull is on top of him, and it is only from kicking the bull's face that he is able to escape. The crowd soon grows tired, and they throw bottles and cushions at Manuel after he misses the bull again. Manuel decides to charge at the bull, who is too tired to run anymore. He stabs its muzzle with the muleta, and the bull jumps on him. Manuel backs up and trips on one of the cushions, and he feels the bull's horn pierce his side. Other fighters try to get Manuel to go to the infirmary, but he flings his sword into the bull and kills it. He then sits down and coughs, and he is carried to the infirmary. He sees Retana and Zurito talking, but he cannot hear them. Zurito holds up scissors and Manuel sits up, scared that Zurito will cut off his coleta. Zurito assures Manuel that he will not. The doctors put something over Manuel's face, and he begins to feel very tired. Manuel tells Zurito that he was going good, he just didn't have any luck. He asks Zurito what he thinks and Zurito unconvincingly assures him that he was going great. The doctor's assistant puts a cone over Manuel's face, and Zurito watches akwardly.