Defined by the director as a Shakespearian family Saga, counting a history of love framed for social critics, the plot is initiated in the end of the year 1960, when Afrânio, son of a powerful Colonel Jacinto is obliged to return from Salvador for the fictitious Grotas de São Francisco, to assume the place of the father, who commanded the politics and the local economy. He even got passionate for Iolanda, but obliges to his mother Encarnação, that still suffers for the loss of her oldest son, who died in waters of the São Francisco River. Afrânio leaves in a trip for the region to reaffirm alliances that his father kept. In his trip, Afrânio gets involved with Leonor, hence, the father of the young woman compels them to marry. Leonor is received with disdain by Encarnação, for the fact she is of a lower class, that is, incapable to be wife of her son. When Maria Tereza is born, Encarnação rubs on Leonor that she should have conceived a son. On the other hand, the rival family of Ribeiro, since the Colonel Jacinto aspired its lands, Captain Ernesto Rosa is a man married to Eulália, but they have no children. They adopt Luzia, a baby abandoned on the road side on the way to their cotton plantation. At the same time, the couple receives, the retirante, Belmiro and Piedade - parents of Bento and Santo. With the passing of time and growing together, Luzia starts to nourish a passion for Santo. That disrupts of the feelings of the brother and sister. It is in a procession of Francis of Assisi, under waters of the Old Chico, that the path of Santo and Maria Tereza are crossed. But the love affair between the son of the retirante with the daughter of the Colonel is discovered. Maria Tereza is sent to a boarding school in Salvador. Through sending letters for Santo, she discloses to be pregnant and these is not taken well by Luzia who is still in love with Santo. Some time later, Miguel is born. A fruit of a forbidden love. Soon after Maria Tereza returns to the farm and marries Carlos Eduardo even though he is not in love with him but still dreams to leave a reunion with Santo.