A famous composer and conductor, Luis Doria is in present-day Barcelona, and after a performance he is persuaded to go to a drag club to relax. It's seedy and horrible, but he is suddenly transfixed when he realises that the pianist is the gifted Alberto Rossel, a close friend from before the Spanish Civil War. The film then flashes back to 1946, when Rossel has just been released from prison, having been captured at the outset by Franco's fascist forces. He is withdrawn and friendless, but his neighbours soon befriend him for his ability with the piano, and despite his classical musical interests, he manages to bang out a boogie for them to dance to. Earlier, in pre-war Paris, we see the development of the friendship between Rossel and Doria, and of romance with Teresa. We see that in those days, the young Rossel was dedicated to his music and to noble sentiments, while Doria is dedicated only to pleasure and to himself.