Ashes of Paradise

Costa Makantasis falls to his death from the Federal Courthouse. Pablo Makantasis is seen dragging Ana Muro's body through their house as the brothers confront a shocking tragedy. The scene sets up a deadly puzzle that drives the rest of the story.

Two judges begin investigating the deaths of Costa Makantasis and Ana Muro. It is soon assumed that Costa Makantasis committed suicide, reframing the case as an official tragedy rather than a murder.

Beatriz Teller starts investigating Ana Muro's murder. Her superiors press to hand the case over to the judge handling Costa Makantasis' apparent suicide, threatening her career if she refuses.

The film uses cutbacks and four unequal segments, each centered on one of the Makantasis brothers and Ana Muro. These pieces gradually assemble the truth as the narrative weaves past and present together.

Costa Makantasis had been investigating Ana Muro's father, Francisco Muro, for corruption and possible murder. The pursuit of the truth strains Costa’s relationship with their powerful adversary and hints at a wider conspiracy.

Ana Muro and Alejandro Makantasis fall in love, and Ana moves in with Alejandro and his brothers. For a time, their relationship seems to promise happiness, but it also intertwines private passion with dangerous family and political secrets.

Nicolás cheats with Ana, while Ana also tries to charm Pablo. Pablo resists, and soon discovers Ana's affair with Nicolás, fueling jealousy and distrust within the family.

Francisco Muro learns of the relationship and pressures Costa Makantasis to keep his son away from Ana. Costa grows increasingly suspicious that Muro has tapped his house and compromised the investigation.

Ana takes secret documents concerning her father to Costa Makantasis' office to prove his innocence. While there, she reviews the material and realizes some suspicions against Francisco are well-founded, then leaves in haste.

Two of Francisco Muro's employees push Costa Makantasis from the roof, killing him. Ana has just left the building, and Pablo, seeing her troubled look, misreads the scene and believes she is involved in the murder.

Pablo shouts that Ana killed their father, and Alejandro objects. Pablo then reveals that Ana cheated with Nicolás, deepening the mistrust and driving further wedges between the siblings.

Alejandro returns home and tears down the party decorations the siblings had set up for Ana. Ana confronts him, admits she loves him, and then, in a confrontation, she stabs herself with the knife Alejandro is still holding.

The three brothers are brought to Beatriz Teller's office for a final confrontation. It remains unclear whether Teller discovers the whole truth or if the cutbacks have kept the true story hidden.

Teller sends the brothers back to their prison cells and muses that justice may not be possible to achieve. The film ends with the sense that the truth may still lie beyond reach.