A curious doctor tends to a young Damaso Funes' broken leg and charred hands, believing that the scars across his body indicate an intense history of abuse. However, the Doctor soon discovers that he has stumbled upon a scientific miracle: a boy who cannot feel pain; a boy who can hold a burning ember in the palm of his hands without flinching and who can play with scorpions like toddlers toss around toys. Unfortunately, rather than rendering Damaso superhuman, his condition leaves him vulnerable to exploitation. The Doctor sees great opportunity and befriends the young patient in an attempt to use him as material for a revolutionary case study. But as time goes on, their relationship strengthens and the Doctor's feelings towards the boy begin to change, his personal agenda giving way to moral responsibility. Damaso is no longer a specimen to study but a son to love. The Doctor resents Damaso's own father who abuses his abnormality to turn a buck. He is the only one who truly understands that Damaso's inability to feel pain will not protect him from more subtle wounds. The young boy's skin may heal but his inner scars are everlasting.