The Ave river valley located in northern Portugal was, for almost a century, the most industrialized region in the textile sector. Everything ended abruptly with the globalization of the economy, especially after the entry of China into this market. In “o laboratorio" a story and History intersect themselves and develop in parallel. The story, autobiographical, of the failed utopian adventure to build a textile factory in the city of Oporto that wanted to be an alternative to the large monopolistic factories of the sector. A man (my father) firstly accompanied and then lonely tries and fails. The adventure lasts from the time of the Salazar dictatorship, goes through the revolution of '74 and disappears also victim of globalization. In Santo Tirso (in the Ave river valley) one can still see the majestic ruins of the huge textile factory called "Thirso". Founded at the end of the 19th century, it lasted until the beginning of the nineties of the last century. It was the chosen place for the shooting of this film.