The Italian-born Pietro Savorgnan di Brazzà explored Central Africa beginning in the 1870s. His nonviolent approach, which led to the establishment of a French colony in the Congo, contrasted with that of the better-known Henry Stanley who brutally claimed parts of the Congo region for Belgium. This history, illuminated through an innovative mix of archival material, puppets, and animation, erupts into the present as Brazzà's descendants attempt to counter a plan by Congo's president to bring the explorer's remains to the country for political gain- “a family story with operatic twists and turns” (New York Daily News).