Based on the Spanish play "El caudal de los hijos" by José López Pinillos. Francisca, the daughter of a provincial gentleman in Valencia, falls in love with Miguel, a young sculptor. When Miguel leaves for Paris to complete his studies, the lovers promise to wait for each other. During Miguel's absence, however, the Duke of Montesino calls on Francisca's father and asks for her hand in marriage. Her father, pressed for money because of gambling debts, agrees to the match.