The Peruvian Andes. Andean shepherdess Margarita finds Lautaro, a dying Chilean soldier who has fled from a battle. She takes him home and nurses him. When he finds this out, her father decides to hide him, putting his family at risk. His only condition is that the soldier must leave when he recovers. Over time and despite the linguistic differences, the shepherdess and the soldier establish an intimate relationship. When he is discovered, the Chilean is taken prisoner but his life is spared as the shepherdess is expecting his child.