In 1966, José Sarney was elected governor of Maranhão for the first time. To register his inauguration speech and his political pledge to the population of the state, the politician invited the main figure of the Cinema Novo, the great filmmaker Glauber Rocha, to capture everything and turn into a great event. However, Rocha's nervous camera and combative spirit end up capturing a lot more than what Sarney had expected, by showing the contrast between the eloquent words spoken about progress and the harsh reality faced by the poor people.