Sergio Dayán is a businessman who holds his family dear to his heart. His young son sees him as a hero, and his daughter reveals at her bat mitzvah that he’s the one person she can always depend on. However, beneath the surface, Sergio’s life is far from perfect.
He owes money to almost everyone around him, including the workers at his factory, who haven’t been paid for months and have begun to threaten him. To make matters worse, a powerful moneylender has issued an ultimatum, and Sergio’s finances have sunk so low that he can’t even afford his daughter’s tuition fees.
When everything falls apart, Sergio looks for a way out (Photo: Rest In Peace/Kenya Films and Benteveo Producciones)During this crisis, Sergio finds himself caught in an explosion and decides to use the situation as an opportunity to escape the country.
How Does Sergio Escape From Argentina?
To settle part of his debts, Sergio sells his country house to Hugo Brenner. While on his way, he finds himself in the middle of a deadly explosion, which may be a nod to the 1994 AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires. Sergio miraculously survives the blast, waking up with a head injury, but recovers quickly.
He decides to flee Argentina, believing that his death will be assumed, and the insurance payout will help his family clear their debts. He sneaks onto a boat and illegally crosses into Paraguay.
What Does Estela Do After Sergio’s Disappearance?
Estela learns that Sergio was near the site of the AMIA bombing and rushes to check if he’s among the victims, but finds no sign of him. The police later ask her to identify him from a list of unidentified bodies, yet she still doesn’t find him.
After confirming his briefcase, she starts to accept that he may indeed be dead. Although in denial at first, Estela finally agrees to accept his death after her brother Diego persuades her. She receives the insurance payout and settles the debts, then goes to Brenner to repay him.
However, Brenner refuses to take the money, believing his business dealings were with Sergio alone and that Estela should not be involved.
How Does Sergio Start Over In Paraguay?
Sergio finds work at an electronics store, where his hard work earns him the trust of the owner, El Gordo. Sergio, now going by the name Nicolas, is welcomed into El Gordo’s family, with El Gordo’s wife, Ilu, treating him with kindness.
When El Gordo asks Sergio to make a delivery to Brazil, he realizes that he lacks any official documents and is unable to travel. Sergio lives alone in a sparse room, with a sketch made by his son Mati hanging on the wall.
He celebrates Mati’s 7th birthday alone, a heart-wrenching moment for a father separated from a son who looks up to him. During Christmas, El Gordo invites Sergio to his home, where Ilu provides him with new documents and makes him a Paraguayan citizen.
However, the celebrations are cut short when El Gordo collapses while dressed as Santa and passes away. Sergio steps up to manage the store, and Ilu accepts his help.
How’s Sergio’s Life After 15 Years In Paraguay?
Sergio adopts a dog that he never names and continues to work at El Gordo’s store, now run by Ilu. While she was kind to him during her husband’s life, her affection for him grew even more after El Gordo’s death. Despite their closeness, Sergio keeps their relationship casual and never stays over at her house.
He returns to his old life by reconnecting with his children through Facebook, though he struggles to understand the platform. With the help of a younger colleague, Sergio learns how to browse Facebook and sees photos of his grown-up children.
His daughter Florencia has become an architect, and Mati is now a tall young man. Overcome with emotion for the years he’s missed, Sergio decides to return to Argentina. Ilu bids him farewell, as the man she knew begins his journey back to his homeland.
What Does Sergio Find Out Upon His Return?
Sergio starts keeping an eye on his children from a distance, watching them without their knowledge. He hides behind sunglasses to avoid being recognized, though his beard gives him away. Sergio’s desire to reconnect with them grows stronger, but he stays far from them, observing silently.
Florencia is about to marry, and Estela has remarried Brenner, who has raised both Florencia and Mati as his own. Sergio is stunned when he sees Brenner walking Florencia down the aisle at her wedding. The shock sends him fleeing the church, his mind in disbelief and filled with anger.
What Happens To Sergio After The Revelation?
The man who once threatened to destroy Sergio’s family has now taken that very family as his own. Sergio is filled with rage and plots to get revenge. He goes to Florencia’s wedding, carrying a gun, determined to confront Brenner.
A blast gives Sergio the chance to rewrite his fate (Photo: Rest In Peace/Kenya Films and Benteveo Producciones)When he finally locates Brenner in the washroom, Sergio points the gun at him but hesitates to pull the trigger. He sees that Mati has accepted Brenner as a father and wants him to live a life free of financial worries.
This moment mirrors Hamlet’s hesitation to kill his uncle. As Sergio limps away from the wedding, Mati notices him, recalling that he had seen Sergio lurking around before. Brenner, who has been under pressure from dangerous people in his business, sees Sergio’s presence as a threat.
Before leaving, Sergio and Estela lock eyes, and she recognizes him as the man who once shared a life with her. She follows him, but when she calls his name, Sergio hesitates to run due to his lingering feelings for her. Just as they are about to confront each other, Brenner arrives, and Sergio raises his gun at him.
Without hesitation, Brenner shoots Sergio down. Estela rushes to his side, urging him to stand, but Sergio dies while watching his daughter dance in front of him, wearing the necklace he once gave her.
What Happens To Sergio’s Life?
Sergio had once been a loving husband and a devoted father, but his descent into debt and his escape from responsibility destroyed his family. His decision to avoid facing the consequences of his actions led him down a path of regret and longing.
Even though Ilu provided him with a sense of comfort in Paraguay, it was never enough to heal the wounds of the life he had lost. Estela rebuilt her life without Sergio, making a family of her own. Unlike Sergio, she didn’t choose to abandon what mattered most.
Sergio’s inability to take responsibility for his actions deprived him of the life he had once dreamed of. Finally, he was never able to become the father and husband he had always wished to be.
