森林学者のソニアは、長年の研究の末、植物の生長を促進させる大発見の糸口をつかむ。だがその矢先、実験用の森林を提供していた出資者マッキンタイアから、これ以上成果を待てないと研究の打ち切りを告げられてしまう。諦めきれないソニアはデータを集めるため、ひそかに森に入る。一方、実は犯罪組織のボスであったマッキンタイアを追う刑事のビルとアンは、組織が密猟を行なっている証拠をつかもうと同じ森へ入っていた。

This is a film about the people living in the Alaotra region in Madagascar, and about the changes in their social and natural environments. This is also a film about the Bandro, the Alaotra gentle lemur (Hapalemur alaotrensis), that can survive only in the marshes surrounding the lake, and that is facing extinction due to these changes. This is also a film about research; on how to tackle complexity and grasp change. The AlaReLa (Alaotra Resilience Landscape) project aims to understand the various livelihood strategies of people like farmers or fishers, who use the lake, the marshes, and the land surrounding the lake to produce food and charcoal and other sources of energy. Follow us to some of Madagascar's hidden places - far away from the touristic centers - to find out what can happen when modern times seep slowly into traditional ways of living. What can be done to strike a balance between yesterday and tomorrow; between conservation and development?