A man, CHUSO, and his young American daughter, JULIA, sit in a parked car. It has been thirty years since Chuso has seen Asturias, and even longer since he has seen his mother. Now, parked outside of his old farmhouse, Chuso finds himself paralyzed by his inability to forgive his family for their betrayal, despite the recent death of his father.

Before any action is taken, LUIS, Chuso’s brother, storms out of the house and tells Chuso that he must leave the house at once. Furious, both brothers immediately get in a fight, blaming each other for one thing or another. Not wanting his daughter to listen to their argument, Chuso sends Julia inside the house to wait for him.

Once inside, Julia explores the empty house. Filled cardboard boxes suggest the family is finally moving out of their old home. Upstairs, for the first time in her life, she finds herself face to face with her ABUELA. While Chuso and Luis argue just outside the window, Abuela and Julia become close. Though neither one can speak the language of the other, they share a deep connection that brings them together in a mutual understanding of one another.

Through photo albums and stories, Julia and Abuela are able to embark on an imaginary, spiritual journey that takes them throughout the Asturian countryside. Overwhelmed by the beauty of her ancestors’ lands, Julia walks hand in hand beside her Abuela as she tells her the ancient stories of the Reinu.

But the beauty doesn’t last long. Remnants of a bloody Spanish Civil War echo throughout the land, and the division between Chuso and his brother interrupt Julia’s connection with her Abuela. Chuso calls for Julia, anxious to drive away and never return. Jolted from this imaginary journey, Abuela turns to look at Julia. As the insults and accusations of two brothers, forever divided, are heard through the window, Abuela’s eyes fill with thirty years of all the sadness and regret that can only be found in Nel Reinu.