An unclaimed fortune, grown for centuries in a British bank account, becomes a potential windfall for Bernadito Castiñeiras and the residents of the tiny village of Yaragüey, Cuba. To receive his massive inheritance check, Bernadito must prove his lineage to the Castiñeiras nuns who first populated the region. In an isolated and impoverished town where many residents share the same surname, a feud breaks out between the "Castiñeiras" and "Castiñeyras" families.

Luciano has been working in an important company for fifteen years without be rewarded for his efforts, his fidelity and submission. On the recommendation of a cousin, he acts as front man for the shameful business of his managers. They get it so far as to force him to marry the former mistress of one of the directors. Finally, because of a fire in the chalet where he lives and where they cook the dirty business of which he is not responsible for, Luciano ends up in jail for covering up and taking on some responsibilities that are not his, fulfilling his role of straw man until the end.