An epic portrayal of Pablo Neruda's exhile. In 1948 Chile's corrupt President deprives Neruda of his Senate seat and orders his arrest. In great peril, the poet moves from place to place in Chile, finally escaping across the Andes to Argentina. His fugitive adventures lead to the south of Chile where Neruda lived during his formative years. Here childhood experiences, his first love, links with his father, the memory of an absent mother, and the ancient rituals of southern Chile start to appear in Neruda's poetry.