Spanning the years from 1932 to 1959 A Successful Man follows the fortunes of two brothers from a wealthy, middle-class Cuban family living in Havana as they struggle to come to terms with their increasingly divergent political and social beliefs. While Dario Arguelles becomes the editor of a left-wing newspaper and is persecuted for his ideals his brother Javier takes a more pragmatic and opportunistic approach, steering his way through the quagmire and upheaval of the Spanish civil war.