Don Quixote

This fantasy-filled miniseries tells the tale of Alonso Quixada, a middle-aged Spaniard who takes to the extreme his childhood love of the days of gallantry, chivalry and adventure.

Alonso is so enthralled by stories and dreams of knighthood, he neglects all else in his household to the dismay of his niece, Antonia, his barber, Nicholas, his housekeeper and his priest. Yearning for the days of yore, Alonso decides to renounce his identity and renames himself Don Quixote De La Mancha.

Set to go on a quest for adventure, Alonso clothes himself in rusty armor, mounts his broken down horse, Rozinante, and appoints his neighboring peasant, Sancho Panza, to be his squire. The elements of his fantasy are complete when he sees Aldonza, the plump country girl who hangs out the wash. He gives her the fabricated status of his mistress and names her Dulcinea.

At the first sign of darkness, Don Quixote and Sancho begin their journey. They joust with giants, who are in reality windmills. Quixote is thrust high into the air by their sails, but thinks it's the dark magic of his enemy, Malfatto, the wizard. Quixote decides he must be dubbed knight in order to combat Malfatto's evil. An innkeeper and his wenches serve as a king and beautiful virgins in Alonso's mind, and they knight him. This gives him the confidence he needs to battle Malfatto.

Sancho returns home and informs Antonia about her uncle's imaginings. Antonia and the priest devise a plot to return Alonso home. The priest and the barber conspire with a troupe of strolling players to impersonate the demons of Malfatto and they capture Quixote, returning him to his family. Eager to help Alonso, the family enlists the aid of a scholar named Sampson Carrasco.

While Carrasco encourages Alonso to continue his journeys, the scholar hatches a plan that includes the townspeople. Carrasco then proceeds to disguise himself as various knights, hoping that an overdose of the fantasy will force Alonso to admit his delusions. As the Knight of the Mirrors, Carrasco challenges Quixote to a duel and loses. Carrasco then returns as the Knight of the White Moon to battle Quixote, announcing that if Quixote loses, he must go home to live quietly. Quixote agrees and the Knight defeats him, saying, "Wake up, the time for dreams is over."

By the time Quixote reaches home, he is dying. He makes out a will, leaving his money to Sancho and his house to Antonia. As Quixote dies under the tree in his yard, Aldonza, declaring that she is the Lady Dulcinea, comes to see him one last time. The gallant Knight Don Quixote and his Lady Dulcinea fly through the stars in Alonso's final fantasy. Even in death, he is victorious.