A doctor from New York travels to a remote plantation in the 1890s to care for a disturbed boy who seems to have inexplicable abilities. She begins treating the child, but in doing so, ignites a war between science and religion as the local priest believes the boy is possessed by the devil and the cause of the village's woes.

The story of Monteforte Toledo - the film's Doctor Zamora - who comes to San Pedro La Laguna (Guatemala) as a young man during the military dictatorship in the first decades of the 20th century. Zamora sets out with great idealism and dedication to eradicate illness among the Indians, even if his work is disapproved by the military commander in town. Zamora falls in love with María, a young Indian girl from a village, and he invites her to come live with him in the town of San Pedro. However, other young women have noted the charm of the elegant of Zamora, and even the young idealist doctor cannot escape the conflict between Ladinos (Mestizos or non-Indians) and Indians.