On Reunion Island, away from prying eyes, lives a family of cane cutters with Malagasy, African and Indian roots. Ten-year-old Anélia lives there with her relatives, and among them her grandmother, who communicates with their ancestors. At nightfall, while the children are playing hide and seek in the forest, a stray dog appears at the time when stray souls like to spread. The dog turns into a bird, Anélia thinks of her father who died before his time, while her grandmother organizes a great ceremony to honour the dead.