Lieutenant Agustin Rejas (Javier Bardem), a policeman in the capital of an unnamed Latin American country, is assigned to investigate a series of violent incidents. Some are minor, some are more serious. They began in remote villages in recent years but are now starting to occur in or near the capital. All have two things in common - they target people in politics, and they are associated with a mysterious figure called President Ezequiel, who seems to be attempting to undermine the country's corrupt, ineffective government.