A family of rich landowners from the colonial era owns a sugar plantation on the edge of the jungle. While hunting in the forest one day, the father, Don Everardo, discovers a young black orphan by the river. He brings the child to his mansion and call him Gaspar. Friendly and intelligent, the boy quickly becomes a new member of the family. He plays with his son Sebastian, and his two daughters, Emma and Lucila, as if they were his own siblings. The family occasionally has lavish receptions with fine dining. One of Don Everardo's favorite mushroom dishes is prepared with an old family recipe from Spain. The family discovers if the mushrooms are edible by making a servant eat a few first; if the servant collapses and dies, then the family does not serve mushrooms to the party. The family has another flirtation with danger: They keep a black panther called Toy chained in the main courtyard; from time to time they release it and let it chase people. Some years pass, and Gaspar grows into a handsome young man, and Lucila and Emma become beautiful women. They go hiking in the woods and swimming in the river. But children's play has become flirtations, especially between Gaspar and Emma. Along the way, Gaspar reveals his knowledge of different species of mushrooms that grow in the forest. There is also an incestuous relationship between Sebastian and Lucila, who want to leave the hacienda and go to the capital city where they can meet people of their own age. The family unit falls apart when Emma and Elvira compete for the attentions of Gaspar. Elvira's flirtations with Gaspar provoke the jealousy of her husband and daughter Emma. One night someone mysteriously releases the panther and it attacks Elvira after her failed attempt to seduce Gaspar. When Lucila takes the place of her mother, she informs Don Everardo about Emma's affair with Gaspar, and Don Everardo decides to make him the new "man of the mushrooms." But nobody else has Gaspar's knowledge of mushrooms, and a lavish party at the farm becomes a circus when Emma and Gaspar take advantage of the mushrooms to get rid of the rest of their own family and escape together. But once in the forest, Gaspar suddenly disappears.