The time is 1914. Miguel Angel, a soldier, escapes after the punishment he received from the Federal Captain Medina, supposedly for being responsible for the death of 14 guards. Miguel unites with his friends to form a band known as “The Lions of San Pablo”; eventually they decide to join forces with Pancho Villa. Thus begins de Fuentes' second film set against the background of the Mexican Revolution. According to Federico Serrano: “De Fuentes achieves a penetrating portrait of the Mexican spirit and mentality. The six main characters, ‘The Lions of San Pablo,' embody simultaneously the innocence and critical vision of the people. In a sense, their tragic destiny reflects a national tragedy: the right intentions but the failure of action; innocence and passion overflowing but sterile. The desanctified vision that de Fuentes proposes is the cornerstone of the more legitimate Mexican films on the Revolution because it evokes a real phenomenon, chaotic and complex, more difficult to understand than to exalt.”