Wanting peace and quiet, and a low profile so he can recover from a series of traumatic events, Liko moves to an isolated island in the Gulf of Mexico. Maritauqua Island seems to provide what he's looking for: a quiet job as a security guard, and time to himself.
All that changes when he meets Hugo Haruun, a street artist living in a park. Liko learns that Hugo has witnessed and survived a civil war and genocide in his home country, and suffers from PTSD. Wanting to help Hugo, Liko encourages his painting, even buying him painting supplies and suggesting locations where he might paint his murals.
Hugo's expressive art upsets and angers many of the islanders, and their ugly prejudices cause problems for both men and ultimately leads to their arrest and prosecution.