When the father of the struggling painter Ernesto passes away, he is left in misery. The banker Julián, a friend of the deceased, intends to help Ernesto: he appoints him as his secretary and takes him to live in his house. There, Ernesto meets Teodora, Julián's wife. People gossip about a supposed love affair between Ernesto and Teodora, who go together, without Julián, to see the opera The Thieving Magpie at the Principal Theater.