The situation in Colombia, infected by a flourishing drug trade and widespread corruption, is explosive. The resumption of armed struggle is a muted threat, sometimes even clearly expressed by former combatants. Political polarization and extreme poverty exacerbated by the pandemic fuel the violence. More than seven years after Ingrid Betancourt's ordeal came to an end, over 500 people were kidnapped in 2022, a figure that is rising by 30% a year. Telling her story sheds light on the past and future of Latin America's oldest democracy, a democracy on the edge.