Vientos de agua

A gas leak traps miners in Asturias. Andrés pleads with the foreman to evacuate workers and children, but his request is ignored. Andrés is severely wounded in a landslide and dies at home surrounded by his family. Fueled by grief, José decides to dynamite the mine in revenge, and soon the Civil Guard begins pursuing him.

José's mother urges him to flee to Argentina with the money saved by his brother. She believes exile will protect him and asks him to keep Andrés's death secret. He agrees, preparing to reinvent his life abroad.

José begins life in exile under his dead brother's name, adopting a new identity in Argentina. He hides the truth from friends and family and plans to live the rest of his days as Andrés. The lie becomes the core of his new life.

In Argentina, José's path intersects with Julius Lazlo and Gemma, a Hungarian Jewish man and an Italian girl. They are placed in a tenement in La Boca, where immigrant life unfolds amid the city’s bustle. The era spans the 1940s and early years of Peronism.

José's Argentine years include relationships with Sophie and later Lucía, who becomes Ernesto's mother. These bonds unfold through the 1940s and 1950s, shaping his family and the connections that will influence Ernesto. The political climate of Peronism frames the period.

The narrative weaves the social upheavals of Peronism into José's life and the lives of those around him. Political events influence daily choices, loyalties, and the sense of homeland for the Argentine chapters of the story. The era shadows personal relationships and exile.

In 2001, Ernesto, an unemployed architect in Buenos Aires, plans to emigrate to Spain but is blocked by the Corralito, which freezes bank deposits. His father provides enough money to fund his solo trip to Madrid, allowing him to pursue a new life abroad.

Arriving in Madrid, Ernesto meets Ana, a young waitress who helps him settle in, and moves into a shared apartment with Mara, a Colombian immigrant. He faces slow bureaucracy and xenophobia as he tries to establish a stable life in a new country.

Ernesto lies to his family about his situation, leading them to believe he has a good job and a domestic life. The deception strains his relationship with Cecilia and introduces tension within the household.

Ernesto's feelings for Mara deepen, and they eventually marry and have a child together. This marks a shift from deception toward building a legitimate, blended family in Spain.

In 2005, Ernesto and his father return to Asturias, where José confronts the ghosts of his past. He contemplates killing the foreman who sent his brother to the mines, but the plan is ultimately abandoned as he reassesses his life.

The journey culminates with José choosing life over suicide as he sits with Ernesto and his father before Andrés's grave. He finally reveals his long-held secret to Ernesto, closing the circle of past and present.