A war hero forced to participate in a smuggling ring meets a prostitute in the postwar ruins of Manila.
Maria and Jose, a young married couple begin life together in an orchard in the countryside. It isn't long until they have four children: Miguel, Arturo, Angelita, and Lito. The eldest, Miguel, is a deaf-mute. Life is good for the family and the children grow up and bring joy to the community. But trouble enters their lives when Jose makes an enemy of Bruno, a widower, much feared in the village.
Hassan, the son of a tribe chief of the Badjaos, a pagan, sea-dwelling Filipino tribe, meets and falls for Bala Amai, the niece of the chief of the Tausugs, an Islamic, land-dwelling tribe. Although the Hassan is willing to give up his lifestyle for Bala Amai and vice versa, the Tausugs plot to break up the union of the happy couple.
