Amado is a professional executioner about to retire. José Luis, soon to marry his daughter, Carmen, must inherit his father-in-law's unpopular profession in order to keep the house where they are going to live. All goes well until the day the son-in-law faces his first execution. Amadeo assures José Luis that the condemned man will be pardoned at the last minute, so José and his family take a vacation in Mallorca. But the pardon doesn't come.