A well-known bullfighter grapples with the rising fame of a competitor known for his daring fighting methods. When the media begins to call the experienced fighter boring as the rivals' match approaches, the expert bullfighter must decide whether to alter his successful but obsolete methods to win back his audience.

In pre-Civil War Spain, a little girl witnesses her famous matador uncle become plagued by superstition and deteriorate in his craft.

An American visits his family in Spain as the Spanish Civil War erupts. Familial tensions emerge as he argues against war with his wounded cousin, who served for the Nationalists.