In this adventure novel set deep in a primitive Andean forest, a young heroine in a symbiotic relationship with the spirit of the forest confronts local mafias greedy for gold.

In the Andean forest, eleven-year-old Majina of the Embera tribe has her prey stolen by a golden-eyed jaguar, the incarnation of forest's spirit. The animal leads the young girl into a remote meadow where she discovers a vein of gold. Aware of the consequences that this discovery could have on the life of her tribe, Majina hides it. But in order to improve her family's life, she is forced to sell a few gold nuggets to Father Gregorio, a priest in a neighboring village. He shows them to Jefe, the leader of the local guerrillas, starting a downward spiral of lust and violence.