A French retired diplomat and his Brazilian wife buy an old abandoned house on a paradisiac island in Brazil. When they move there, they find out that, on part of the property, there is a small village of fishermen, descendants of an old German colony. They are blond, tall and have blue eyes. The strange inhabitants offer to take care of the house, in exchange, the couple would let them continue living there.
Four youngsters are sent to work with the couple. They have a sinister aspect: one wears an eye patch, another is visibly lame, one is full of scars and the last one is mute. Despite the initial kindness, there is something deeply unsettling about them as inexplicable accidents begin to occur.
During a horrific stormy night, the couple finds out that the inhabitants of the island suffer from a rare syndrome: they do not feel any pain. Fearing for their land and life, the couple takes a drastic action that leads to a violent confrontation, questioning the limits of pain and compassion.