Lucrecia Martel writes and directs this Argentine drama based on the novel by Antonio di Benedetto. Set in the late 18th century, the film follows Don Diego de Zama (Daniel Gimenez Cacho), an officer of the Spanish Empire, as he eagerly awaits a royal transfer to Buenos Aires from his remote post in Asuncion. Separated from his family, Zama struggles with his isolation and longs for professional advancement but his attempts are continually rebuffed by his superiors until he leaves the colony to join a band of soldiers in pursuit of a notorious criminal.