Nine-year old Manuel (Hernan Ocampo) and his best friend Julian (Nolberto Sanchez) live in a small farming community tucked away high in the Columbian mountains. He can't wait to finish chores like milking the cows so he can play soccer with his buddies. Besides his athletic interests, Manuel is a moral kid ready to stand up for Poca Luz (Genaro Aristizabal), a weak albino who is regularly harassed by bullies.

All the students in the local school are surprised when Carmen (Carmen Torres), a new teacher, shows up. The community is caught in the crossfires of a raging civil war. Manuel's father is trying to avoid being forced to attend meetings of the guerillas in the area, which he knows will result in trouble with the military. Julian's brother has joined the resistence, and his father is taken away by the government.

At school, Manuel wins the admiration and encouragement of the new teacher with his artistic skills. She chooses him to play a major role in painting a mural over a wall marred by pro-rebel political slogans. This increases the tension and sends more families fleeing from the war-torn area.

For Manuel the reality of war comes home when his brand new soccer ball lands in a field that has been land-mined. The community's leaders have a red flag put up and all citizens are ordered to stay clear of the area. Before this happened, violence was just a backdrop in the lives of these children. But now it is personal.

Carlos Cesar Arbelaez directs The Colors of the Mountain with a keen appreciation of children: their fantasies, fears, dreams, and fragility. In one very scary scene, a helicopter flies over Manuel's house and shakes its foundations; for the first time, he seems frightened. But despite the dangers, he is obsessed with rescuing his soccer ball from the dangerous field. Manuel proves himself to be a very courageous and resilient little boy who along with his family and friends is caught up in a war that upends their lives and forces him to grow up too fast.