Abandoned by his father, thirteen-year-old André is left to fend for himself in the remote and unforgiving region of Alentejo in the south of Portugal. When social services knock on his door, the only person he can turn to is his neighbor Sandra, a young mother who is counting the days until she can be reunited with her child. André deceives her into looking after him, and the two embark on a journey across the desolate landscape as they look for their loved ones.