Adrift and desperately needing money to pay for his ailing adoptive father's care, Ubaldo, a bank clerk who's unable to remember his childhood, receives an inheritance that will change his destiny for good. He goes to Cratará, in the heart of the northwest desert, where he'll become the leader of a pack of ruthless bandits, fulfilling the legacy of his biological father - a mythical cangaceiro.

After making a pact with Jequitibá, José Inocêncio becomes a mythical figure, known as the most successful cocoa farmer in the region. While still young, he wins the heart of Maria Santa. Their intense passion results in four children: José Augusto, José Bento, José Venâncio, and the youngest, João Pedro, who never had the opportunity to know his mother, as she dies while giving birth to him. This tragedy fuels José Inocêncio’s anger, blaming João Pedro for the loss of his great love. Throughout their lives, indifference and resentment mark the relationship between the father and his youngest son. As if the past weren’t enough, years later, the arrival of the mysterious Mariana puts all these emotions to the test when both father and son fall in love with the same woman. This situation reawakens feelings that were either dormant or previously unknown to them.