A remote robot scans the surface of a distant planet, searching for minerals and signs of life. Light-years away, in an Andalusian mining town, humans have been probing and excavating the ground for valuable resources since time immemorial, with far-reaching consequences for people and other living organisms.
This philosophical science fiction documentary interweaves images of Mars exploration with magnificent wide shots of an otherworldly Andalusian landscape transformed by human extraction, and eerily quiet footage of research in an unknown ecosystem in pitch-black caves. Landscapes where barely any life is visible to the naked eye alternate with extreme close-ups of intriguing, minuscule life forms, impossible for a layperson to identify.
Context emerges indirectly from conversations between astrobiologists about their striking theories on evolution, a tour guide who leads visitors through the area, and the concerns of villagers whose town is now at risk of disappearing beneath mountains of mineral waste. One young villager, who hopes for a future beyond the mining industry, sings melancholy, hypnotic flamenco songs.
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