The Heavy Hand of the Law

Gloria Soriano takes her final oral exam under Attorney Rivas, answering questions about justice and defending the guilty and the moneyless. The celebration is interrupted when Gloria falls through a broken elevator door, leaving her crippled. This accident sets the stage for a lifelong pursuit of justice.

Two local workers, Gringo Gómez and Manfredo Doméstico, are seen on a rural bridge and later go to a bar where the lights go out. In the darkness they have a private encounter, planting seeds for a conflict that will unfold years later in court.

Néstor Fabián escorts his brother Manfredo to the police to file a complaint against Gringo Gómez, intending to use the case to seize Gringo's house since both are homeless. The scene grows tense when Néstor physically confronts Manfredo after an argument about the denunciation.

Manfredo is interrogated by the police, who take photos of his injuries and urge him to reenact the alleged assault at the crime scene. The process unfolds as part of the investigation, foreshadowing how fragile the case's evidence may become.

Betty learns of the accusation and Gómez is jailed, where he is pressured into signing a confession despite his illiteracy. At the same time, police photograph five witnesses from the bar on the night of the crime, contributing to a portrait of the case.

Rivas’s assistant compiles the case file and signs it, which lands on Gloria Soriano’s desk. Reading the two-page document, Soriano finds no clear proof of Manfredo’s supposed mental disability or the rape, prompting her to push for a more thorough examination.

A psychologist arrives and conducts a kinetic family drawing with Manfredo, diagnosing him as mentally impaired. Manfredo cries as the implications of the diagnosis unfold, underscoring how fragile the case's assumptions are.

Soriano visits Gómez and has him read his confession, discovering he cannot read and does not even know why he is in jail. She then travels to El Escondido to interrogate witnesses and learns unsettling details, including Betty’s evolving relationship with power figures.

In a meeting, Rivas and Ferrera discuss how to handle the case and consider dismissing Mudo as a witness due to his criminal past and silence in declarations. Ferrera signals cautious support for Soriano, but Rivas reminds him that her influence could determine his judgeship, intensifying the political pressure.

Soriano and the team are directed by a silent tramp who leads her to a key deputy and hints at Néstor’s criminal record. The encounter expands the investigation beyond the original elements, reinforcing Soriano’s resolve to pursue truth even against entrenched interests.

Soriano revisits the case details and learns about Manfredo’s mechanic skills and Betty’s affair with the chief deputy, complicating loyalties and influencing how witnesses and evidence are treated. In a pivotal moment, Rivas’s past influence and the judge’s own ambitions come into focus as the case nears its end.

Gómez is ultimately declared innocent, while Néstor dies electrocuted after a confrontation with Manfredo. Gringo and Manfredo reconcile, and Soriano, exhausted but fulfilled, takes a day off. The epilogue reveals Rivas becoming a national judge, Manfredo’s death in 2007, Gringo’s unknown whereabouts, and Soriano's thirty-year career as a teacher while remaining single.