The film follows ballet dancer Carlos Acosta from his formative years growing up in an impoverished family in Havana and chronicles his rise to stardom.
Despite his natural talent, he is initially reluctant to embrace ballet but is encouraged by his strict father, who pushes him to enrol in dance training at a young age.
After studying at the Cuban National Ballet School, Acosta enjoys enormous worldwide success and joins the Royal Ballet, becoming the company's first black principal.