Caleidoscope of documentary-like scenes and re-enacted episodes of a day in the life of a large port town – Lisbon, from the old district around Saint George's Castle down to the docks and the 'Sagres' on the Tagus river, to the new commercial districts.
Having abandoned his family due to religious differences, Dr Silveira moves to Coimbra, where he dedicates himself to his patients, and rejecting any attempts at reconciliation. But, when a terrible accident happens to his son, he must seek a resolution to the debate between faith and science.
The ill-conceived loves of Rosa, a modest seamstress, and Fernando a doctor, leaving in the shadow the fateful passion of António (a liberal) for the young woman.
