In 1886, Colonel Hernan Moreno, an Intelligence Officer in the Peruvian Army is captured on the border with Ecuador during a border dispute. He, his faithful Sargent Garcia and three of his wounded are taken to the fortified hacienda of San Rafael near the town of Banos de Aqua Santa in Ecuador. Whilst there he is able to smuggle letters home. Each letter tells a different story about many places, people and their customs of South America and the final letter reaches a climax in the lives of all at San Rafael. They include: Letter One - The Prisoner Letter Two - The Grandfather Letter Three - The Salvation of Baños Letter Four - The Padre Letter Five - The Lost Alpaca Letter Six - The Shoeshine Boy Letter Seven - At the End of the World Letter Eight - The Simpleton of Yanahuara Letter Nine - The Road to good Hope Letter Ten - The Execution