A widow shepherd who lives at the Aragonese Pyrenees sees how his three young daughters, Cándida, Visi, and Nieves, go to Madrid to find a better life and leave him alone. There they all get married, have sons and forget their father. One day, Marcelino receives a letter from Cándida, who wants him to stay with her family for some time. What she really wants is some help from her father, as she's not able to take care of her ten daughters and her upcoming child. Marcelino goes to Madrid, but, once there, he only finds an unknown, frantic and hostile world, and also three unhappy daughters...