The Torch

In the Mexican city of Cholula, the wedding of María Dolores Peñafiel, Paulette Goddard, to American doctor Dr. Robert Stanley, Walter Reed, is being prepared at the Peñafiel estate, the home of her father, the wealthy glassmaker Don Carlos Peñafiel, [Julio Villarreal]. The celebration takes a dark turn when the rebel leader José Juan Reyes, [Pedro Armendáriz], and his growing force seize Cholula, casting a shadow over the occasion. Wealthy families arrive to witness the event, while the visiting priest Father Sierra, [Gilbert Roland], reassures María Dolores that Reyes is an old school friend of his.

Reyes imprisons many residents and even executes some. Don Carlos, Father Sierra, and a few others approach Reyes to bargain, and the rebel leader greets the Father warmly. He demands money and supplies from the city’s wealthy, with Fidel Bernal, [Carlos Múzquiz], singled out as a man who has benefited from the revolution. Bernal agrees, even offering Reyes his wife, an act that triggers Reyes’ wrath and leads to Bernal’s execution. Dr. Stanley returns, asking to travel to Mexico City to buy medicine and to retrieve María Dolores’ wedding dress, and Reyes grants permission for the trip.

Father Sierra informs Reyes that he has not taken money from the wealthy, and he also learns that Reyes keeps a protective eye on Adelita, [Antonia Kaneem], a girl whose parents died fighting on the rebel side. When Reyes harasses María Dolores on the street, she knocks him down; the moment leaves Reyes impressed and curious, prompting him to seek the Father’s counsel. Meanwhile, Don Carlos faces a threat of execution by Reyes’ deputy, Capitán Bocanegra, [Margarito Luna], but Reyes orders his release in time. María Dolores remains wary at first, yet Reyes continues to court her.

When Reyes reproaches her that only her birth into wealth keeps her from following him, she slaps him in the face. He strikes back, and Father Sierra intervenes, only to be beaten himself. Yet he remains aligned with Reyes’ revolutionary ideals. A brutal flu sweeps the city, striking many, including Adelita. The rebels resist evacuation, and Reyes imposes control, while Don Carlos and his daughter weigh whether to flee or stay; seeing the suffering around them, they decide to remain and help those in need.

Dr. Stanley returns without medicine, but he prescribes quinine and uses compresses to ease fevers. Reyes asks María Dolores for forgiveness for his earlier behavior, and she forgives him as her feelings for him deepen. The tragedy hits hard when Adelita dies from the flu, a stark reminder of the human cost of the conflict. Government troops draw near, threatening both rebels and civilians, and Reyes contemplates leading his people out to protect them.

In the wedding’s dramatic final moment, as the Peñafiel home hosts the ceremony, the rebels ride by. María Dolores runs out to join Reyes, signaling a powerful collision between love, loyalty, and upheaval that leaves Cholula to ponder what comes next.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 11:05