The Angel Wore Red

In the early days of the Spanish Civil War, young Catholic priest Arturo Carrera sympathizes with the poor while many priests align with the Nationalists. Disgusted by their indifference, he resigns from the priesthood. His act signals a turning point as the city nears bombardment.

Hours after his resignation, the city is bombarded. Arturo seeks shelter in the rubble and meets the mysterious, beautiful woman Soledad. The two become unlikely companions amid the chaos.

As night falls, Loyalist agitators incite the crowd to burn the church. The ranking cleric orders the Blood of St. John relic to be hidden, tasking his deputy with taking it to Franco's Nationalists. Arturo and the deputy become targets as they try to evade capture.

Seeking safety, Arturo ends up in a local cabaret with Soledad. It is revealed that Soledad is a prostitute, complicating their fragile alliance. They must navigate both militiamen and social stigma as danger closes in.

Soledad learns that Arturo was a priest, and she attempts to shield him from the militiamen, but her efforts fail. Hawthorne, a New York war correspondent and Soledad's friend, tries to free Arturo from danger. The city’s chaos deepens as loyalties are tested.

Arturo meets the Loyalist intelligence chief and explains he can help stabilize the Loyalist cause by comforting Catholic Loyalists who are wavering due to the church's mistreatment. His offer marks a shift from flight to instrumental influence. The scene underscores the uneasy moral balance in the city.

Arturo is released but remains under surveillance. He reunites with Soledad and the priest who has hidden the relic. The absence of the relic unsettles the town and sparks desertions among the Loyalist militia as the relic is believed to grant victory to its possessor.

A well-meaning but disastrous attempt to feed the old priest in hiding leads Soledad to reveal the hideout to Loyalist security. The priest attempts to stay silent, but the trap closes in. The pursuit tightens around Arturo and the relic.

The security chief decides the condemned priest must be shot at dawn. The priest refuses to divulge the relic's location, and Arturo is forced to hear his confession. Learning the relic’s whereabouts, Arturo pockets it under cover and is arrested, then taken to the torturing of Soledad.

A compassionate commanding general arrives and rejects torture as a tactic. He orders 250 prisoners marched to the battle lines, arming them to slow the Nationalist advance and cover the Loyalists' retreat. The doomed plan becomes a fragile lifeline for the city.

During the march, Arturo entrusts Soledad with the relic so she can try to take it to safety. The bond between the two characters deepens even as danger closes in. The relic's fate now haunts both the Loyalists and the approaching rebels.

In a surprise night assault, Soledad is wounded while carrying the relic on the perilous journey. The prisoners swap hands in the chaos, and the situation becomes even more perilous for everyone involved. Arturo clings to hope as the battle looms.

Before the executions can begin, Soledad and the hidden relic are discovered. Soledad dies heroically, saving the vulnerable, and the remaining prisoners are freed as the tide of the assault turns. The city’s fate remains uncertain, but her sacrifice offers a fragile reprieve.