In 2014, Antón Castillo, the son of deposed former president Gabriel Castillo, is elected president of Yara and promises stability with the creation of "Viviro", a new cancer treatment drug developed from Yara's tobacco. Seven years later, he announces a draft "lottery" to enslave workers for the tobacco fields. As the Fuerzas Nacionales de Defensa (FND), the country's armed forces, begins rounding up poor citizens in the capital city of Esperanza, Dani Rojas joins with friends Lita Torres and Alejo Ruiz in planning an escape to make a new life in the United States. Alejo is shot and killed, but Dani and Lita escape on a fishing boat with other refugees, bound for Miami. However, the boat is stopped by Antón, who reveals his son Diego Castillo was attempting to sneak away on the boat as well; after retrieving him, Antón orders the boat sunk by gunfire. Dani and Lita survive, but Lita succumbs to her injuries after bidding Dani to seek out the "Libertad" guerilla movement, led by Clara Garcia.
