In El Quiñon, a newly-built but half-finished city in Spain, the ochre facades are juxtaposed to the fields of La Mancha. Residents talk about their hopes and dreams, illustrating through these revelations different ways of living in a city that was hard-hit by the financial crisis – and its continuing fallout – of 2008. A sense of community emerges, despite this seeming impossible in the circumstances. The first generation of children that grew up in this town are now teenagers, and El Quiñon – once written-off as a modern ghost town – starts to write its own story, one that has a flourishing social harmony. Filmed during the national elections, Barataria offers an intimate and complex vision of contemporary Spain, a decade after the financial crisis. The aspirations, fantasies and livelihoods of the inhabitants, paired with the connections they have fostered with one another, allows them to take control of their uncertain futures.