La paisana Jacinta: En búsqueda de Wasaberto (2017) Plot Summary & Timeline

Jacinta returns to Chongomarca (a fictional town in the Ayacucho department) with a clear mission: to find her husband, Wasaberto. The journey quickly tangles with a looming threat to the town itself, as she crosses paths with Julinho, an engineer from the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht, which has plans to tear down the place where Jacinta lives in order to build a grand hotel complex.

Her old friend Guillermina adds a crucial, troubling layer to the story: Odebrecht reportedly acquired the property illegally through a savvy real estate swindler, and Wasaberto had already traveled to Lima to gather the documents needed to stop the project and protect their home. This revelation compels Jacinta to head back to the capital, determined to uncover the truth and safeguard what matters most to her.

In Lima, Jacinta is steered by Father Bartolomé, who provides information about Wasaberto and the tangled web surrounding the missing property papers. The search then shifts to the parish house, where Jacinta prays for a sign or some guidance, hoping for a miracle that will help her husband and their home endure. Her quiet moment of faith is interrupted by Rafa, a street girl who introduces herself and volunteers to accompany Jacinta to the Notary, signaling the unexpected allies that will enter this perilous chase.

At the Notary, Johana—one of the officials who had once aided Wasaberto—agrees to help Jacinta with the necessary documents. Her efforts unfold under the watchful eye of Dra Sifuentes and her henchmen Agapito and Yuca, whose presence hints at darker forces at play. On Johana’s recommendation, Jacinta and Rafa go to the police station to file a missing persons report for Wasaberto. Lieutenant Vásquez suggests a careful but practical approach: rule out the worst possibilities by checking the General Hospital and the Morgue.

Terrified, Jacinta and Rafa make their way to the General Hospital, scanning the wards and the N.N. rooms for any sign of Wasaberto. The search is sobering, as the hospital bustle is filled with unnamed patients; none of them matches Wasaberto, leaving the case unresolved and the night heavy with worry. Back in the administrative orbit, Johana seeks help from Napoleón, a court worker who loves her, hoping to move the paperwork forward while Agapito keeps a shadowy watch. The tension tightens as Dr. Sifuentes calls to caution Johana against continuing—an ominous warning that this topic does not suit her, and a sign of the scam’s reach.

Napoleón’s information disrupts the Notary’s routine: he confirms that the remaining documentation exists, but the path is blocked by Dr. Sifuentes’s machinations. The danger escalates when Dr. Sifuentes orders Agapito to kill Johana if she stays too close to the truth. With panic in the air, Johana seizes the moment and escapes with the documents, pursued and terrorized by the conspirators.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Jacinta joins Johana in a desperate attempt to locate Wasaberto by searching the morgue. They are relieved to find that none of the deceased matches Wasaberto’s description, sparing her from another heart-wrenching moment and pushing the quest forward. The two then leave the hospital to reunite with Napoleón, hoping the whole set of documents will finally seal the case.

But the danger is never far away. Napoleón’s arrival is followed by a brutal confrontation, as Dra Sifuentes and her henchmen seize the documents and expose the full extent of the scam, including Wasaberto’s possible kidnapping. Napoleón wrestles with Agapito and Yuca, while Johana clutches the papers and makes a risky escape. In a cruel twist, Dra Sifuentes shoots Johana in the back as Jacinta staggers through the chaos, taking a bullet to the chest and collapsing in the desperate melee.

It seems the end is near, but then a remarkable moment unfolds in heaven: Jacinta meets Rafa, who is revealed to be an angel. Rafa explains that for her courage and steadfast love, she would be allowed to return to earth to continue the search for Wasaberto. She awakens in the hospital, where Father Bartolomé is at her side, and the pair heads to the warehouse where Wasaberto, Johana, and Napoleón were last held.

Armed with renewed resolve, Jacinta confronts Dra Sifuentes and her accomplices once again. This time the arrival of the police restores a fragile sense of justice as the criminals are arrested. The documents are recovered, and while they reveal that Wasaberto had fled to a destination unknown, they also provide crucial leverage to pin down the scam.

With the legal and documentary pieces in hand, Jacinta returns to Chongomarca and works to halt the construction project. Yet the emotional weight remains heavy: she has not yet found Wasaberto, a truth that gnaws at her even as progress is made. Guillermina comforts her with a letter from Wasaberto, telling of his plan to arrive on the afternoon train. The final dash to the station is swift and hopeful, and Jacinta finally reunites with Wasaberto, closing one chapter of an arduous journey even as new questions about their future linger on the horizon.