The adventures, fortunes and misfortunes of resourceful peasant Juan Quin Quin - in turns bullfighter, guerrilla fighter and sacristan - who never resigns himself to his fate. Set against the backdrop of 1950s Cuba and steeped in the island's countryside traditions, this comedy is considered the first successful Cuban experimental film.

One winter morning in 1963, a Civil Aviation captain arrives in Gibara. A taxi driver takes him to the guest house of Elena, a lady belonging to the old bourgeoisie of the place. At first, Elena and the other guests treat the newcomer coldly, but when they learn that he is a captain in the US Civil Aviation Authority (who has come to Cuba to exchange medicine for the invaders at Playa Girón), the situation changes. A dazzling romance begins between Elena and the captain, but the ending will be unexpected.