The biography of the torero of Juan Gallardo begins at the moment when the hero is at the zenith of fame. Unaware of defeat, a favorite of the public comes from his native Seville to Madrid for the opening of the spring season. This is not the first performance of Gallardo in the capital, and luck invariably accompanies him. However, as expected, the bullfighter is nervous in front of the bullfight, carefully hiding it from the crowd of fans besieging him. The only one to whom he is sincerely glad is Dr. Ruiz, a well-known doctor who has given thirty years of his life to the treatment and care of the matadors and is revered by all of them. Gallardo brilliantly conducts the battle; his defiantly impudent behavior in the arena, his courage delight the discerning Madrid public, which almost unanimously recognizes him as the best torero in the world. Immediately after the bullfight, Juan Gallardo orders his faithful companion and assistant Garabato to send a telegram home to reassure loved ones, and the other - Don Sol, a noble Seville lady whose Torero is very proud of.

Gradually, the whole past life of Juan Gallardo unfolds before the reader. He was born into a poor, barely making ends meet shoemaker's family. When his father, the mother of Juan, doña Angustias, died very tightly: after all, she had two children left in her arms - the twelve-year-old Juan and his older sister Encarnacion. Juan is given as an apprentice to one of Seville's best shoemakers, but instead of going to the workshop regularly, the boy escapes to the slaughterhouse, where he teases the oxen with a red rag with his friends, imitating the matadors. Then he begins to take part in kapeys - amateur bullfights arranged on the squares of small towns and villages, for which sometimes Juan disappears from the house for several days, to the indignation of his mother. Neither her tears nor beatings act.

Gradually, Juan makes friends among the toreros, acquires a rich patron and creates from his peers a quadrille that follows him to all the neighboring capes. Finally, Juan is given the opportunity to perform in the Seville arena for bullfighting at novilade. Unrestrained courage and endurance help Juan to win and immediately attract the attention of the public, whose favorite he becomes.

It took Juan Gallardo only a year and a half to become famous, although he is also considered a novice, not a professional torero. Money comes along with fame - the family moves to a bigger house, donja Angustias does not work anymore, and Juan, as befits a real torero, acquires catchy jewels and a frisky bay horse. And Juan’s cherished dream comes true - he is given the opportunity to perform in the arena in Seville with a professional torero; Juan wins, and the celebrated maestro hands him his sword and mule - Juan Gallardo receives the official title of matador or espada, which he soon confirms in the arena in Madrid. Now there is no end to those who want to see him in the arena - offers and contracts are pouring in from a cornucopia. In order to conduct all business, Juan hires don Jose, neglecting the services of Antonio, his brother-in-law, and in order to reward an offended relative, Juan entrusts him with the supervision of the construction of a new rich house, where the patio will be laid out with marble slabs and a luxurious setting inside. The torero himself decides to marry and opts for Carmen, who lives next door, with whom they once played together in childhood. Now the girl has turned into a rare beauty with a kind complaisant character, the fame of which is spread throughout the district. The wedding was played with a housewarming party. But if Juan’s mother cordially greets her daughter-in-law, his sister Encarnacion and her husband Antonio are wary of her, seeing in Carmen and her unborn children a threat to their five offspring, which Juan largely contains.

However, three years pass, and the young couple have no children. Senora Angustias explains this by the fact that Carmen is constantly tormented by fear for Juan. Indeed, on the day of bullfighting - and the young torero has more of them per season than anyone else in Spain - the young woman does not find a place, waiting for a telegram, and spends the whole morning in church for an earnest prayer, afraid to miss a word so as not to harm Juan. Four years after marriage, the torero can already afford to acquire the rich estate of Rinconada, where once he, together with his hungry comrades, showed the master his art as a beginner torero.

And somehow, after the end of the season, when Juan Gallardo enjoys a break from heavy bullfights and exhausting crossings all over Spain, he meets in Seville with Don Sol, the niece of the Marquis of Moraima, one of the noble people of the city. This brilliant woman traveled with her husband, a diplomat, almost all the capitals of the world, circling with their beauty and well-educated head even crowned women. And now, having become a widow and having decided to live a little at home, she continues to write out toilets from Paris, which does not prevent her from becoming interested in folk music and dancing, which she finds very exotic, and learning to play the guitar. Juan, as a local celebrity, is invited to the marquise's estate to hunt for bulls, during which Don Sol shows negligence - Juan saves her life. After that, they begin a stormy romance, but if the torero is completely absorbed in the feeling that gripped him and is completely in the grip of this woman, then for Dona Sol he is nothing more than another toy. Having forgotten about the family and the estate of Rinconada, Juan spends a lot of time in the company of Doña Sol, not embarrassed to ride together on horseback. Juan is proud of this open connection, although it brings him a lot of bitterness: Dona Sol is capricious, changeable and willful.

So pass autumn and winter; The new bullfighting season begins. Juan again moves from city to city, and Don Sol goes abroad to fashion resorts, and the torero does not receive letters from her, which leads him to despair. And so she returns - not for long - to Seville. Juan immediately runs to his beloved woman, but meets a cold reception of a socialite. This continues for some time, and then Don Sol expresses a desire to go to the Rinconada with Huang: she is attracted by the idea of ​​invading the torero's peaceful family coziness. Doña Angustias and Carmen become aware of the trip, and this news provokes their indignation. Gradually, although with difficulty, the peace in the house is restored, but Carmen continues to suffer brutally. But she blames mainly herself: there are no children in the house, which means there is no happiness either.

Juan also suffers, but not because of the disturbed peace of the family hearth: after a trip to the Rinconada, Don Sol disappeared from Seville, and Juan feels deeply hurt. The mental state is reflected in the professional skills of the torero, and at the next bullfight in Seville, he is seriously injured for the first time. At his request, Dr. Ruiz was called by telegram; he arrives the next morning and remains near the torero for ten days, until he is convinced that the danger has passed. But it will take Juan two more months to finally feel healed. During illness, a complete world reigns in the house, and to give pleasure to mother and wife, Juan Gallardo, together with the residents of his quarter, takes part in Holy Week processions.

Gaining strength over the winter, Juan decides to start performing, although after what happened, entering the arena frightens him.

The first fight the torero holds in his native Seville. But although he kills the bull, his old courage and insolence left him, which is not hidden from the eyes of the discerning public, demanding constant death risk from the torero. This deeply shakes the matador, and his fear of the bull only intensifies. His next bullfight is in the capital, but now on the alert, the enemies of Juan, who became aware of the failure of the torero in his native Seville, they begin to avenge his former glory, spreading rumors about the cowardice of Gallardo; fellow craftsmen, always envious of Juan, are not far behind.

The torero’s nervous state is aggravated by a meeting with Don Sol, whom he sees as leaving the crew with a brilliant satellite near one of the city’s central hotels. Confident that the old relationship would resume, Gallardo went to visit her. However, Dona Sol receives him with the negligence of a noble lady and complete indifference. When Juan begins to talk about his love, he meets only coldness and ridicule. Torero realizes this is the final break.

Meanwhile, Carmen in Seville eats anxiety for her husband, and she sends him anxious letters one after another, begging to immediately quit bullfighting and live peacefully with her family in Seville. But Gallardo’s measured life is not to his liking, moreover, he is used to not knowing the money bill and no longer thinks for himself otherwise. Therefore, the torero decides to try to regain the lost love of the public, to become for her the former Juan Gallardo. With this decision, he goes to the next bullfight. At the crucial moment of the battle, Juan notices among the spectators doña Sol and her companion; the torero embraces an irresistible desire to show this arrogant woman what he is capable of. And Juan forgets about all caution, which turns out to be fatal to him. The very first unsuccessful attack of the torero causes a hail of ridicule from the audience stands that the torero is not able to transfer. He loses all caution - and the bull lifts him on the horns. This bullfighting turns out to be the last for Juan Gallardo: the hastily called Dr. Ruiz can no longer help him. The last thing the dying torero hears is the roar of the audience, demanding new victims.