 "Mala onda" is set in Chile during a ten-day period in September, 1980, around the time of the Chilean constitutional referendum.The protagonist is Matías Vicuña, a maladjusted, upper class, 17-year-old boy who is jaded and frustrated by what he perceives as the folly and blandness of his family and peers.Matías lives a loveless, meaningless life, and indulges in sex, drugs, alcohol, and rock music.