Character Relationship Map: Cows

Characters

• Cristina (played by Emma Suárez) — protagonist

  Cristina is Peru's half-sister and childhood sweetheart. Living at the Iriguíbel farm during the Civil War, she shows Peru the last paintings made by Manuel, follows the men into the forest, and escap...

• Manuel / Ignacio / Peru (played by Carmelo Gómez) — protagonist

  The actor portrays three connected generations. Manuel is a frightened soldier who survives the 1875 battle by hiding among the dead; Ignacio is a celebrated aizcolari whose affair with Catalina break...

• Catalina (played by Ana Torrent) — supporting

  Catalina is Juan's sister and a member of the Mendiluze family. She falls in love with Ignacio, begins a secret affair, and later has a son with him. Fearing Juan's obsessive feelings, she plans to fl...

• Ilegorri / Lucas (played by Karra Elejalde) — supporting

  The actor portrays Ilegorri and his son Lucas in different periods. As a boy, Ilegorri brings Carmelo news of Manuel and later arranges the paid competition between Ignacio and Juan. Lucas has a relat...

• Madalen (played by Klara Badiola) — supporting

  Madalen is Ignacio's wife and part of the Iriguíbel household. While Ignacio gains fame through aizcolari competitions and cares for the family farm, he neglects her because of his relationship with C...

• Manuel (played by Txema Blasco) — supporting

  This older Manuel is a survivor of the 1875 war and remains marked by the accusation of cowardice. In 1905 he paints the family's cows, watched by his granddaughters, and later supervises Peru and Cri...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Ilegorri / Lucas → Manuel / Ignacio / Peru (Professional Facilitator) — Ilegorri creates an opportunity that advances Ignacio's professional career.

  Ilegorri arranges a paid competition between Ignacio and his rival, helping launch Ignacio's career as a log-cutting contender.

• Cristina → Ilegorri / Lucas (Romantic Former Lover) — Cristina has a past romantic connection with Lucas.

  The plot states that Cristina previously had a relationship with Lucas.

• Catalina → Manuel / Ignacio / Peru (Romantic Secret Lover) — Catalina maintains a clandestine romantic relationship with Ignacio.

  Catalina and Ignacio develop a mutual attraction, begin a secret affair, and later elope together.

• Manuel / Ignacio / Peru → Madalen (Family Husband) — Ignacio and Madalen are married, but their relationship is damaged by his neglect.

  The plot states that Ignacio is married to Madalen, although he neglects her after gaining fame.

• Madalen → Cristina (Family Mother) — Madalen is Cristina's mother.

  Cristina is identified as the daughter of Ignacio and his wife Madalen.

• Manuel / Ignacio / Peru → Cristina (Family Father) — Ignacio is Cristina's father within the role grouping represented by this character entry.

  The plot states that Cristina is the daughter of Ignacio and Madalen.

• Manuel → Manuel / Ignacio / Peru (Family Grandfather) — Manuel is the older family patriarch connected to the younger generation.

  The elderly Manuel supervises Peru and Cristina in the mountain forest, and the plot identifies him as their grandfather.

Story Analysis

Across three wars and several generations, inherited shame, forbidden love, artistic memory, and survival bind two hostile families together.

Plot Progression

1. Blood Beneath the Trenches — During the Third Carlist War, Manuel survives combat by hiding among the dead. His escape becomes an unresolved secret witnessed only by a cow.
2. Rival Families Entwined — Thirty years later, the old hostility between two rural families still governs their relationships. Catalina and Ignacio are drawn together while a public log-cutting rivalry renews the feud.
3. Love Against Tradition — Ignacio's victory launches his professional career, but his secret affair with Catalina deepens the family conflict. Fame and neglect further weaken his marriage to Madalen.
4. Return Through Memory — Peru returns to Guipúzcoa as a photojournalist during the Spanish Civil War. His reunion with Cristina revives their childhood bond and exposes the family's remaining memories.
5. Flight Across the Frontier — The war drives the villagers into the forest, where Lucas attempts to protect Peru and Cristina. After Lucas is killed and Peru is spared from execution, the reunited pair escapes toward France.