The small settlement Helvecia was founded 200 years ago by Swiss and German colonists in Bahia in northeastern Brazil. Today, it is still home to few of their descendants, with the majority of the population being descendants of the 2,000 African slaves who were exploited on the local coffee plantations. Black Helvetia explores the subtle ideological confrontation of European and African cultures, where black kids play with white dolls and Christian evangelicals still brand afro-descendant cultures as evil.