In the 1930s, novelist and politician Graciliano Ramos is accused of being a communist sympathizer. He is then arrested and sent to the Ilha Grande prison, where he experiences the disturbing treatment reserved for common prisoners.
The real story of Carlos Lamarca, a captain who, during the military dictatorship in Brazil, deserted Brazilian Army and got involved in left-wing guerilla groups, becoming one of their most prominent leaders.
After a life of richness, a conservative industrialist blames himself for abandoning his youth's left values. In existential misery, he keeps looking for a possible personal redemption after a foreign company buys his business. His life breaks into pieces.
