Netflix’s latest Spanish-language miniseries, “I’m Not Afraid,” is a heartbreaking story about the cruelties of poverty and the loss of childhood innocence. The first television adaptation of Niccolò Ammaniti’s 2003 novel “I’m Not Afraid” is told from the perspective of 10-year-old Miguel (Aldo Emiliano Navarro). The series depicts the anguish of a childhood cut short and the awakening of a child’s consciousness as his safest spaces erode.

“I’m Not Afraid” opens in a small rural town in Mexico in 1986. Miguel and his younger sister María (Regina Arroyo) spend their days playing soccer with their cousin Chuy (Bruno Strauss) and other neighborhood children. Money is scarce, especially since a plague has devastated the coffee crop and destroyed the livelihoods of Miguel’s parents, Pino (Luis Alberti) and Teresa (Fátima Molina). However, Miguel remains happy and carefree. The young man’s biggest concern is staying out of the crosshairs of Calavera (Mauro Guzmán), the neighborhood bully who seems destined to follow the same path as his intimidating older brother, Félix (Cosmo González).

It is through Felix that the children hear the story of the evil witch who lives in the forest, murdering and eating little children. At first, Miguel is apprehensive about Felix’s witch fable, but when strange things start happening in his community, he begins to understand that something sinister is wrong. First, Miguel is taken aback when Chuy and his parents, Rosalío (Fernando Cuautl) and Margarita (Leidi Gutiérrez), abruptly leave town without warning. However, things really change one day after Miguel stumbles upon a boy, Felipe (Yago Andreu), chained under the old water tank near the witch’s old, run-down house.

With his father out of town for work and his mother overwhelmed by money problems and keeping María’s chronic asthma under control, Miguel takes matters into his own hands. He begins bringing food and water to Felipe while keeping him informed about Mexico’s status in the World Cup. However, when he discovers that he does not have the strength or the tools to free his new friend from the chain around his leg, Miguel decides to trust Calavera, the strongest boy he knows.

The six-episode limited series (critics received three episodes for review) shows just how tender childhood is. After finding Felipe, Miguel takes it upon himself to take care of his new friend, even sacrificing his valuable television time. Feeling the strain of his parents’ financial pressures, despite their attempts to hide them, Miguel attempts to solve the riddle of Felipe’s sudden appearance himself, ultimately unearthing a Pandora’s box that no one could have anticipated.

Episode 3, “The Worm Man,” puts all the pieces of the story in place, destroying Miguel’s childhood fantasy and sense of security in its wake. Although the various clues slowly begin to come together for him, the expression of horror and fear on Miguel’s face when he realizes who is behind Felipe’s kidnapping is deeply poignant and painful. It’s a revelation that no child should be privy to.

“I’m Not Afraid” maintains its tension throughout its non-linear timeline. The series begins after Felipe has already been placed in the water tank. It then flashes back and forth in time between 1981 and the moment just before Miguel discovers the boy and his broken glasses. Just five years earlier, the town was flourishing with a solid crop of coffee beans. Tragically, luck changed when the crops had to be burned, drying up the only important resource in the area. By revealing the community as it was and juxtaposing it to the present, the series illustrates what lack and despair can do to seemingly normal people.

A thrilling coming-of-age story with a mystery at its center, “I’m Not Afraid” is a beautiful depiction of the joys of childhood and how quickly and cruelly that essence can be shattered by the greed and volatility of adults. Additionally, the series reveals the heartbreaking realities of social inequality and how desperation can transform into shocking acts of violence.

“I’m Not Afraid” is now streaming on Netflix.