The particular reality experienced by Panama for almost a century due to the military presence of United States in the former Canal Zone is narrated through unpublished materials and revealing interviews with many of the social and cultural personalities who left their imprints in this story. The life in "the zone", the identity of the "zonians", the events that led to the handover of the military bases and the administration to the Panamanians are part of a plot as complex as the story itself.