Pepa resolves to kill herself with a batch of sleeping-pill-laced gazpacho after her lover leaves her. Fortunately, she is interrupted by a deliciously chaotic series of events.

In Spain of the 1960s, a poor family of quinquis - a nomadic ethnic group with a tradition as old as that of the gypsises of Spain but with even more obscure origins - have a nomadic life marked by poverty. The son, Eleuterio Sánchez Rodriguez, nicknamed "El Lute", steals some chickens and is condemned to six months in jail. El Lute moves to the slum outskirts of Madrid with his common law wife, Chelo, starting an itinerant life as a peddler of pots and pans and living in a quinqui shantytown. He gradually embarks upon as life of petty criminality, eventually participating in the theft of a jewelry store during which a bystander is killed.

A new doctor arrives in a small Spanish village. As soon as he begins meeting people there, he notices the strange behaviour of the population and is surprised. Young people make fun of him, a man called Gonzalo seems to be some kind of leader, and he is invited to leave the village when he tries to ask about the situation. All his questions get no answer. His neighbour is a lovely and pretty young woman, who works as the local teacher. They develop a sincere friendship from the very first moment, which grows to become love. Unfortunately, Gonzalo feels that the young teacher is "reserved" exclusively for him and he reacts with violence. Meanwhile, the doctor finds out the key of that strange behaviour. Some years ago, during the local feast, some drug-addicts attacked the village in order to get money and goods. There was a fight and some people died, including Gonzalo's son. From then on, Gonzalo and others began their particular "crusade" against drug-addicts.

Following the events of El pico, the heroin-addicted Paco faces jail time due to his involvement in a double murder.