Yuli is the moniker given to Carlos Acosta by his father, Pedro, who believes he is the son of Ogun, an African deity and a warrior. Yuli eschews discipline and education as a child, instead learning on the streets of an impoverished and abandoned Havana. His father, on the other hand, has other plans and sends him to Cuba's National Ballet School, despite the fact that his son had an innate gift for dance. Despite his repeated escapes and poor behavior, the boy is inevitably drawn to the world of dance and begins shaping his legendary career at a young age, becoming the first black dancer to be cast in some of the most prestigious ballet roles originally written for white dancers with companies such as the Houston Ballet or the Royal Ballet in London.