Spain, 1648. Fifteen-year-old Luis is different than everyone else in the small, sweltering village of Riodelgado - because he can read.

Targeted by the local toughs, who make his life a misery, Luis works tirelessly to provide for his ailing mother and young sister. Then, one day, a wandering soldier arrives to the village and everything changes.

People are murdered. Children disappear. The mayor blames an ogre, and the soldier has evidence of the hideous creature. He demands it be hunted down.

It becomes clear to Luis that there is more to the story than the appearance of an ogre. Is the mythical beast just a smokescreen, designed to keep everyone from the truth?