Fausta is a survivor who dreams of building a house on land she's buying on the installment plan. Meanwhile she lives in a one-room tin-roofed hovel with her idle husband, João, and she works as a maid. The elderly but randy Zé, who carries advertising signs at the train station, buys her perfume and invites her to spend Sundays with him. She accepts. After João injures his foot, stops work, drinks more, and wallows in self pity, Fausta sees Zé as her way out, if he'll help her buy the land and build a house. Through it all she's a scourge, arguing, jeering and being jeered, but also displaying the spirit and energy of her idol, Tina Turner.