Hans Bengler a young entomologist leaves Sweden for the Kalahari Desert determined to find a previously undiscovered insect to name after himself & advance his career. Instead he finds a young boy whose tribe has been decimated by European raiders. Accustomed to collecting specimens Bengler re-names the traumatised child Daniel & brings him home to Sweden intending to civilise him. But Daniel yearns desperately for the desert & his real family. His only consolation is his friendship with a vulnerable young girl who is also an outsider in the community but even this bond is destined to be violently broken as Daniels isolation & increasing desperation lead to a chilling tragedy.