Early 1960s Mexican villages and rural communities are losing their youth to the big cities' modern lifestyle. At the same time, the United States government is interfering with its southern neighbor's politics, fixating on Cuba and the spread of communism. The self-exiled Alexander is forced to flee Mexico City as a fugitive because he gets caught up in a sensational murder mystery and the covert schemes of the world's superpowers. He seeks asylum in communities steeped in Aztec traditions and is offered a rare glimpse of a world rapidly being swallowed up by modern-day Mexico.