Summary
In a vivid tableau of early 20th-century Mexico, a simmering feud ignites when the formidable Governor Mendoza, consumed by an unrequited ardor for Zora, the enigmatic daughter of Dr. Fernandez, attributes her cold indifference to her father’s supposed hypnotic influence. Mendoza’s infatuation, met with Zora’s unwavering disinterest, morphs into a profound animosity towards the doctor, whom he believes actively thwarts his romantic overtures. This personal vendetta escalates into a political maelstrom as Dr. Fernandez, a figure of intellectual power, assumes leadership of an burgeoning insurrectionist faction, directly challenging the government. The conflict culminates in a brutal battlefield confrontation where Dr. Fernandez tragically falls, a martyr to both personal slight and political conviction. Meanwhile, a domestic drama unfolds within Mendoza’s own household: his daughter, Dolores, is plagued by somnambulism, a delicate affliction she desperately wishes to conceal from her stern father and her fiancé, Riques—who, unbeknownst to Dolores, is also Zora's cherished lover. It is Dolores’s venerable old nurse who, in a desperate plea for her mistress's well-being, seeks out Zora, revealing Dolores's nocturnal wanderings. Zora, inheriting her father’s potent hypnotic gifts, compassionately undertakes Dolores’s treatment, restoring her to lucidity, entirely ignorant of the intricate romantic entanglements that bind them. The shattering revelation of Dolores’s imminent marriage to Riques, the man Zora loves, unleashes a torrent of incandescent fury within Zora. Driven by a tempest of jealousy and betrayal, she infiltrates the governor’s palace under the cloak of night, employing her formidable powers to plunge Dolores back into a profound, unresponsive trance. This act of hypnotic retribution, however, swiftly leads to Zora’s public denouncement as a sorceress, a 'witch' in the eyes of an inflamed populace. She is dragged to the public square, destined for the pyre. In a dramatic eleventh-hour intervention, the sagacious old nurse, witnessing Dolores’s unshakeable stupor, reveals the true nature of her affliction to the Governor—a trance from which only Zora possesses the power to awaken her. With the flames licking at Zora’s feet, Mendoza, facing the potential loss of his own daughter, dramatically halts the execution, offering Zora a desperate bargain: her freedom in exchange for Dolores’s recovery. Zora, accepting in good faith, returns to the palace and gently rouses Dolores from her catatonic state. However, once Dolores is safe and sound, Mendoza, a man of duplicity, reneges on his solemn promise, consigning Zora to prison. Yet, destiny has another twist: Zora orchestrates a daring escape. Riques, witnessing the depths of Zora’s suffering and recognizing the profound, undeniable truth of his love for her over Dolores, abandons his fiancée and flees with Zora. Their desperate flight for freedom is short-lived, concluding in a violent capture. In a final, heart-wrenching twist of fate, Zora is ultimately condemned and executed, a tragic victim of societal prejudice, political machination, and a love that defied convention.
Dr. Fernandez is believed by Mendoza, the military governor of Mexico, to possess hypnotic powers. Mendoza is in love with Dr. Fernandez's daughter Zora. When Zora displays no love for him, Mendoza assumes that the father is responsible for the failure of his suit. So great becomes the hatred between the two that when a faction of insurrectionists arises, the doctor places himself at its head and leads it against the Government. Dr. Fernandez is killed in battle. Meanwhile, the Governor's daughter Dolores suffers from somnambulism. While she is anxious to be cure, she dislikes to inform her father or her lover that she is so afflicted. Finally her old nurse makes the fact known to Zora, who possesses the hypnotic power that was her father's. Dolores submits to treatment at Zora's hands and is cured, Zora unaware that Dolores is engaged to Riques--Zora's sweetheart. When she does learn that the wedding day is set, she goes into a rage and contrives to get into the palace by night and hypnotizes Dolores. Shortly thereafter, Zora is denounced as a witch and carried away by an angry mob to be burned at the stake. Just before the torch is applied, the old nurse makes known to the Governor that his daughter has the habit of sleepwalking and is in a trance from which she cannot be roused. She also informs him that only person who can cure Dolores is Zora. At the last instant, the Governor stays the burning of Zora and promises her freedom if she will bring Dolores from her lethargic state. Zora, believing that the Governor is acting in good faith, goes to the palace and awakens Dolores. When she is found to be safe, the Governor goes back on his word and commits Zora to prison. She escapes, however, and Riques, who realizes that he loves Zora more than Dolores, runs away with her. The two are captured after a fight, and in the end Zora is put to death.
