Based on the respective diaries of two Argentines, Ernesto Guevara de la Serna (who would later become known as “El Che”) and Alberto Granado, the new film from Walter Salles follows a journey of self-discovery, tracing the origins of a revolutionary heart and unveiling the rich and complex human and social topography of the Latin American continent.

In January 1952, Ernesto and Alberto set out on a road trip to discover the real Latin America. Ernesto (Gael Garca Bernal) is a 23-year old medical student specializing in leprology, and Alberto (Rodrigo de la Serna) is a 29-year old biochemist. With a highly romantic sense of adventure, the two friends leave their familiar Buenos Aires surroundings on a rickety 1939 Norton 500. Although the bike breaks down in the course of their eight-month journey, they press onward, hitching rides along the way.

As they begin to see a different Latin America in the people they meet on the road, the diverse geography they encounter begins to reflect their own shifting perspectives. They continue to the heights of Machu Picchu, where the majestic ruins and the extraordinary significance of the Inca heritagehave a profound impact on the young men. As they arrive at a leper colony deep in the Peruvian Amazon, the two are beginning to question the value of progress as defined by economic systems that leave so many people beyond reach. Their experiences at the colony awaken within them the men they will later become by defining the ethical and political journey that they will take in their lives.