The film chronicles the actions of Emiliano Zapata, the great leader of the indigenous guerrillas of the 1910 Mexican Rural Revolution. It begins in his early years, when he led protests against the stealing of land, and goes as far as his decisive role in the land redistribution revolution that overthrew the Porfirio Díaz regime. When Madero finally takes Diaz's place, Zapata realizes that nothing will change... The film is considered to be Kazan's self-apology for his reports to the McCarthy committee, and together with John Steinbeck in the script, he created a film that is characterized by revolutionary idealism.

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