The young and wealthy Filipino Crisostomo Ibarra returned to his country after some years of studying in Europe. In his honor, Capitan Tiago threw a party. The gathering was attended by renowned local personalities like Padre Damaso, a fat Franciscan priest; Fray Sybila, the young Dominican curate of Binondo; Lieutenant Guevarra of the Guardia Civil; and Doña Victorina, wife of a fake Spanish physician Tiburcio de Espadaña.
The next day, Crisostomo visited his sweetheart,Maria Clara. After the lovely visit to his girlfriend, Ibarra went to San Diegoto look for his father’s grave. He had known through the grave-digger that hisfather’s corpse was dug up by order of the curate to be transferred in theChinese cemetery. But since it was raining and the corpse was heavy, thegrave-digger just threw Don Rafael’s corpse into the river.
Angered by what he learned, Ibarra suddenlyattacked Padre Salvi when he saw this San Diego parish priest. But Salviexplained to him that it was Damaso who was the town’s parish priest at thetime of Don Rafael’s death.
When Maria Clara and her family arrived in SanDiego, Ibarra gave picnic at the lake. During the picnic, Ibarra had saved thelife of Elias—the boatman who was almost killed by a crocodile trapped in thefish cage. Later in the picnic, some members of the Guardia Civil also came,pursuing Elias who had previously assaulted Padre Damaso and the Alferez. ButElias had escaped even before the Guardia Civil arrived.
On the day of San Diego town fiesta, Ibarra and Maria Clara attended the morning mass officiated by Padre Salvi and Padre Damaso. During the mass, Elias silently went near Ibarra and notified him of the plot to kill him on the ceremony of the laying of the school’s cornerstone.
Ibarra hosted a banquet later that day. Padre Damaso who attended the feast publicly attacked the dignity of Ibarra’s dead father. The angered host lunged at the ill-mannered friar and had almost killed Damaso if it were for Maria Clara who interfered just in time. Ibarra was consequently excommunicated and his engagement with Maria Clara was broken as Damaso persuaded Capitan Tiago to prohibit the lady to marry Ibarra.