A gift from the Pacha Mama, the coca leaf has sparked more debate at this time of important geopolitical shifts in South America. We set out to look at this plant from a new perspective, hoping to decry the established link between the sacred leaf and the illegal drug derived from it: cocaine. We travel along the nerves of the leaf, moving gradually from the traditional to the industrial world, from Bolivia to Peru, from yesterday to today on a journey that reveals the vital importance of the coca leaf to people across these two countries.