Cristóbal Bedoya, a medical doctor, returns to his hometown, a small Colombian city in the banks of the Magdalena River, after being away for 27 years. At the local cemetery, he visits the grave of Santiago Nasar, his best friend, who was murdered almost three decades ago. Still haunted by the past, Cristóbal attempts to revisits the event that lead to his friend's murder by talking with those close to Santiago. Their memories take them to the time of the crime.