After several wordy and dramatic scenes, Ernesto leaves Julian's home to go to Buenos Aires, and is stopping in a hotel the night prior to his sailing when he receives a letter from Teodora; At the time the letter is delivered, Ernesto is out, having gone to visit the steamship ticket agent who is arranging his passage for the voyage. Julian and Severo enter for the purpose of bidding Ernesto farewell, and seeing the letter on the table, Severo recognizes the seal as Teodora's. He pleads with his brother to take advantage of the opportunity that the letter offers, to discover proof of his wife's infidelity, but Julian has nothing but faith in her and he refuses. At this moment Captain Beaulieu, an Englishman and an old friend of the family's, enters with the startling news that Ernesto, in resenting an insult cast upon Teodora's relations with him, has struck Alvarez, and the latter has challenged Ernesto to a duel that after noon at four o'clock. While arranging the matter of seconds, etc., Julian has gone out, met Alvarez, fought him a duel and is brought back to Ernesto's room severely wounded. In taking him to ante room, upon opening the door, they discover Teodora, who having had no reply to her letter, and fearing some harm should befall Ernesto, should he meet Alvarez, has come to warn him, and is doing so when she hears the voices of the crowd returning with Julian, and takes refuge in the ante room, which unfortunately is Ernesto's bedroom. Severo, ever ready to poison the mind of his brother, seizes the opportunity this complication affords and calls his brother's attention to this unexplainable situation. Julian, already weak from loss of blood, is staggering, but finds strength to denounce Teodora for her unfaithfulness. Severo attempts to kill Ernesto upon this conclusive fact of his brother's friend's perfidy, when Ernesto, gaining the upper hand of Severo, bids him wait until he has killed the scandal-monger, Alvarez. Promptly at four o'clock Srnosto meets Alvarez, and mortally wounds him in the duel. Ernesto returns to Julian's home to explain his innocence and leave Spain forever. Severo forbids him to enter the house out Ernesto forces his way in, and there meets Teodora. Julian, delirious, in an ante room, hears their voices and fighting against the restraint of his physician, comes into the room where he again denounces his wife and Ernesto his rage finally driving him to strike his former friend. After a very dramatic scene, he is taken back to his room so weak that he finally succumbs. Then Ernesto, who has been constantly denying the slanderous insinuations cast upon Teodora and himself, denounces Severo and brings home to him that through the falsity of the accusations he has been indirectly the cause of his brother's death, in fact his own murderer, and as usual, when it was too late, Severo realizes the truth of Ernesto's words.