Juan (Rudolph Valentino) is the son of a poor widow in Seville. Against his mother's wishes he pursues a career as toreador. He rapidly gains national prominence, and takes his childhood sweetheart Carmen (Lila Lee) as his bride. He meets the Marquis' daughter Dona Sol (Nita Naldi), and finds himself in the awkward position of being in love with two women, which threatens the stability of his family and his position in society. He finds interesting parallels in the life of the infamous bandit Plumitas (Walter Long) when they eventually meet by chance.—Ed Sutton