The drama tells the story of an Argentine elementary-school teacher sent by the government to a rural hamlet located in the northwestern province of Jujuy. It shows how he touches the lives of the villagers, especially the young and impressionable boy Verónico, whose mother died and father left to seek work when he was an infant. The film is based on a non-fiction book written by Fortunato Ramos, a rural teacher in northwest Argentina, that discusses his teaching experiences.

Young Juan Cruz must fulfill a promise made to his late mother: to kill the Devil (Mandinga). But that path will be towards Hell.

Esteban is a journalist who is escaping to the northern border. In the Buenos Aires of 1978, his life is in danger. The threats after one of his articles in the newspaper and his own inner conflicts push him to run away. But crossing the border is impossible. He comes back to a village near the frontier, where he stays at Father Gabriel's, a priest with ideas and attitudes of mind far from the traditional church. There he will meet Marina and Margarita, who will complete this human group with strong convictions. His stay there will be a definitive experience.