Martín is a 13-year-old orphan shoeshine boy from La Paz, Bolivia, who has lived his entire life in the streets with the hope and desire to find his father. Driven by this desire and his imagination, Martin begins to suspect that one of his best clients is his father; Mr Novoa, a lonely tailor whose only emotional bond is his dog, Astor, a fine German shepherd whom he cares for like a son.

В 1934 году во время войны между Боливией и Парагваем группа боливийских солдат из индейских племён оказывается отрезана от основных войск. Чтобы выжить им необходимо пройти по пустынным бесплодным землям, теряя собратьев не только от вражеских пуль, но и от истощения и обезвоживания.