The engineer Manuel Iglesias is commissioned to supervise the expansion of the ChihuahuaPacífico railway; for this he wants his adopted son Julián to collaborate, but he is reluctant.

Public-works engineer entrusted with a big project faces problems in his home life and conflicts with a corrupt local businessman.

After the Civil War, a southern boy, aged 12, runs away from his foster home, wanders the countryside, and meets various odd characters along the way, including Milo, a mysterious drifter who may or may not be the vengeful "Fool Killer" of folklore.

The building of a railroad under tough conditions from searing heat to freezing cold in the Sonora desert provokes clashes of passion and struggles between the engineers and the workers at the campsite. The workers also contend with sudden dust storms that are called the 'black wind'. Based on true events.