Fourteen-year-old Gilberto Leopoldo lives in Salcaja, in the central mountains of Guatemala. He is learning the traditional Guatemalan art of weaving beautifully coloured materials. He is apprenticing with his father, Don Jose, who is himself a master craftsman. Gilberto has always dreamed of visiting the Mayan city of Tikal, still full of ancient ruins and the glory of the now dead civilization of his ancestors. The Leopoldos are not well off and Don Jose finally agrees that if Gilberto himself weaves a piece of cloth good enough to sell in the market, they can use the money for the journey.