Behold a Pale Horse

The Spanish Civil War ends and Republican refugees stream into France as Manuel Artiguez withdraws from the border. His comrades remind him that the war is over, and the myth of constant resistance begins to fade. The moment marks a transition from combat to memory.

Two decades have passed and Paco asks Pedro why Artiguez stopped raiding. Pedro explains that the legendary guerrilla has retired from the battlefield, despite the lasting aura of his name. The mentor-student moment plants the seed for a return to action.

Pedro sends Paco across the border to locate his uncle Artiguez, hoping to reawaken the legend. Paco's mission blends revenge with a desire to restore purpose in the old fight against Viñolas. The journey rekindles old loyalties and danger.

Paco tells Artiguez that he wants him to kill Viñolas, the Guardia Civil officer who killed his father. Artiguez is reluctant but moved by the boy’s plea for justice. The plan pulls him from retirement toward a new, personal war.

Viñolas learns Artiguez's mother is dying and arranges a trap at the San Martín hospital to capture him. He believes the hospital will lure the guerrilla fighter into a deadly snare. The setting of the trap foregrounds the cost and danger of returning to the fight.

Before the trap closes, Artiguez's mother dies, depriving the guerrilla of a personal anchor and amplifying his vulnerability. He grapples with vulnerability and fear about old age. This personal loss intensifies his resolve to face Viñolas.

Viñolas dispatches Carlos, a spy, to convince Artiguez that his mother is alive, hoping to draw him into the trap. The deception deepens suspicion and endangers alliances, forcing Artiguez to weigh loyalty against danger. The web of lies tightens around him.

Paco recognizes Carlos in Artiguez's house and warns him that betrayal may be near. Artiguez wrestles with the possibility that a trusted ally might turn on him. The tension marks a turning point as trust erodes.

The trio travels to Lourdes to locate a priest who might reveal the truth. The priest is delayed, testing their patience and forcing them to rely on their own judgment. The journey underscores how truth is strained by years of war.

When the priest finally appears, they forcibly bring him to Artiguez's house; Carlos slips away during the delay. The return exacerbates mistrust and binds the group to a fragile plan. The confrontation heightens the sense of imminent danger.

Carlos, feeling exposed, attacks Artiguez and escapes, while the priest's presence presses on the hero. Artiguez is forced to confront the human cost of his vendetta. The incident sharpens his resolve to move toward San Martín.

Artiguez admits his vulnerabilities and resolves to travel to San Martín to confront Viñolas once more. He chooses to embrace danger rather than retreat into myth. The decision marks the final arc of his resistance.

In San Martín, Artiguez climbs to the hospital roof and kills the Francoist sniper. He spots Carlos in a nearby building and shoots him, ending the informer’s treachery. Inside the hospital, he kills several officers but is finally shot.

In the morgue, the bodies of Artiguez, his mother, and those he killed are arranged in a row as a final tableau. Viñolas and the officers reflect on a feud that defined a lifetime. The film closes on memory, cost, and the toll of war.