La Ternura tells the tale of a witch-like queen and her two princess daughters who travel with the Invincible Armada, obliged by Philip II to wed English noblemen in arranged marriages once the invasion of England is done and dusted. Queen Esmeralda hates men because they have always ruled her life and deprived her of her freedom and she is determined that her daughters will not share the same fate. When the Armada passes alongside an island that the Queen believes to be deserted, she whips up a storm that sinks their ship. The plan is to stay on the island forever with her daughters so that they will never have to see another man as long as they live.