One morning Eligio (Gael García Bernal) wakes up to discover that his wife -Susana- has left him without a word. He is clueless as to her reasons or whereabouts. Ciudades Desiertas takes us on Eligio's quest to find and recover the woman he loves. His voyage will take him from Mexico City to a university in Iowa where he finds a Susana who's moved on and is no longer willing to accept his childish behavior. Eligio will try to charm his way through this situation, but her determination plus the foreign land and culture he finds himself in, will force him to face his own demons and contradictions. It is a journey of late growth; funny, painful and -in an unconventional sort of way- very romantic.