Archangel lives in the city, he is troubled by the departure of his wife and his small autistic son Gabriel, and he suffers from chronic insomnia. He receives news from his brother that their father is dying and he sets off for a desolate rural settlement to see the old man for the last time. When he arrives in his native village, to his surprise, he finds out that both father and brother are long dead. Searching for his own roots, he discovers a curse which has afflicted his family for several generations: his great grandfather, desperate to get his hands on family property, killed his own brother. Archangel also discovers why he suffers from insomnia. The story of his family and ancestors began in 1860, and was influenced by events in Mexican history, such as the reign of President Benito Juárez, the French occupation, the reformation war, the Mexican revolution and mass emigration to the United States. Archangel’s memories return to his childhood – his mother had run off with another man, and he himself had been thrown out by his father after a serious argument with his brother. He tries for a reconciliation with his wife but, in the end, is unable to escape his fate.