Ava and Gabriel: A Love Story takes place in Curaçao in the late 1940s, a time when colonial norms rigidly governed the tight-knit Antillean society.

Surinamese painter Gabriel Goedbloed arrives from Holland to paint a mural of the Virgin Mary in the local church. The drama erupts when the black, Hague-educated painter faces immediate prejudice from the clergy and locals.

Tensions escalate dramatically when Gabriel chooses Ava Recordina, a black teacher engaged to the white police major Carlos Zarius, as his model for the Virgin Mary.

The subsequent controversies, hypocrisies, and intrigues—further fueled by the Dutch Governor's wife's interest in Gabriel—ultimately lead to the painter becoming a victim of the forces he challenged.

Part of Spotlight on Caribbean Cinema – Félix de Rooy