In an unnamed African country on the brink of civil war, Maria Vial, a resilient and determined coffee plantation owner, refuses to abandon her land despite the escalating violence. She is committed to completing the coffee harvest, believing that it is critical to her family's survival and the livelihood of her workers. Her conviction is not shared by her workers, who begin to desert the plantation as the threat from approaching rebel forces looms larger. The government army warns Maria and her family to leave for their safety, but she is adamant in her decision to stay, hoping that her long-standing relationships and her white skin will offer some protection from the surrounding chaos.

As the fighting intensifies, Maria's tenacity is put to the test. External pressures mount as she faces opposition from her family, with her ex-husband and father-in-law urging her to seek refuge. Meanwhile, her aloof son falls into a state of disarray, and uninvited danger arrives at her doorstep in the form of a wounded rebel leader seeking shelter. Maria's fixation on saving the harvest blinds her to the greater peril engulfing her world. The true extent of the threat to Maria, her family, and her land becomes increasingly evident as the country spirals further into violence and disorder.