Plauto, the clown, tells us the story of the Circo de las Alegrías. Doña Alegría, owner of the Circus is determined that her son Palevhi, maintain the classic line of the show, which begs for a complete renovation. During the last years, the Circus has been dragging like a dying man until the threat of bankruptcy and unemployment has led his workers to anguish. One night in September, Palevhi decides to inform the big family of the circus the final closure. Tears of frustration give way to the search for solutions.

At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, the nun Maria is forced to flee her convent. She takes refuge in a brothel, until it is liberated by a woman's anarchist group. Maria joins the group and eventually goes to the front. The women's group faces the problems of fighting not only the nationalists, but also factions on the left seeking to impose a more traditional military structure.