La Valentina

On Valentina's wedding night in early 20th-century Mexico, gunshots ring outside her bedroom window. She dismisses the shots as a waste of ammunition, while her husband believes they celebrate the marriage. He steps onto the balcony to stop the shooting and is killed by several bullets. Valentina's grief hardens into a desire for vengeance.

The next day at the funeral, Valentina's grief gives way to a burning desire for vengeance. She resolves to confront those responsible and to honor her husband by seeking justice. The village mourns as her determination grows.

News surfaces that Genovevo Cruz García sold defective arms to the federal army, causing numerous casualties. The federal authorities decide to execute him by firing squad as punishment for his treachery. His deceit becomes a catalyst for a plan that will draw Valentina into a dangerous power struggle. The act signals how personal vengeance intersect with national upheaval.

Genovevo is executed by a firing squad and falls to the ground. An elderly couple pleads to recover his body for a Christian burial, and the scene seems to end with his supposed death. However, Captain Benítez later reveals that the shooting used rubber bullets and that Genovevo was spared. This surprising survival plants the seeds for a new and unlikely arrangement.

Captain Luis Benítez confesses that he has fallen in love with Valentina. He orders Genovevo to kidnap her as part of his plan to win her over, setting a dangerous mission in motion. Genovevo accepts the assignment with a wry smile, acknowledging the peril but agreeing to proceed.

Accepting his commission, Genovevo travels toward Valentina's village to execute the kidnapping, devising a clever scheme that leverages his knowledge of the region and his access to weapons. He contemplates how best to lure Valentina away from her family without arousing suspicion. The plan moves from talk to action as he nears his target.

Valentina's father and brothers are short on ammunition, so they contact Genovevo to buy arms. Genovevo agrees to sell them the weapons only if Valentina accompanies him to the place where his merchandise is kept. The condition turns the arms deal into a kidnapping setup.

Valentina decides to go with Genovevo despite her family's misgivings and is accompanied by her two brothers. The trio travels toward the location of the merchandise, with hope and fear in equal measure. Along the way, Valentina senses the danger, but she remains determined to see justice through.

They reach the location of Genovevo's merchandise, and danger becomes tangible as a trap closes around Valentina's brothers. Genovevo's calculated move succeeds, catching the siblings off guard. The moment marks a turning point: Valentina is seized as the operation concludes.

With the trap sprung and her brothers incapacitated, Genovevo successfully kidnaps Valentina. The kidnapping completes the plan laid out by Benítez, pulling Valentina deeper into the volatile web of the Revolution. Her fate now intertwines with a dangerous power struggle between rebels and the federal forces.