Acclaimed Spanish artist Francisco de Goya is fed up with life at the royal palace. His recent works bewilder the court and even Javier, Goya's son, questions his father's sanity when the artist ridicules arrogant King Ferdinand. Goya leaves the palace for a rustic villa to paint for himself. He is joined by a new housekeeper and her young daughter, Rosarita, who dreams of being an artist. The girl and Goya become friends and despite his eccentricities, Goya teaches talented Rosarita how to "see" as an artist. Rosarita witnesses Goya's genius when he transforms the dining room walls into his masterpiece, The Black Paintings, a mystical expression of humanity that sparks the birth of modern painting. In the end, Rosarita and Javier help Goya foil the Inquisition's attack on his revolutionary creation, giving Rosarita the courage to fulfill her own dreams.