After the death of her husband, Geracina and her three children, living under the northeastern farmer Alberto Lopes, depend only on a horse as a source of livelihood. With the drought that is plaguing the region, the farmer orders the only source of water in the region to be closed. While trying to give water to the horse, the eldest son is murdered by Lopes. Threatened with death, the widow appeals to justice, but the judge, bought by the farmer, absolves him. Mother and son leave the region and start working on a sugar mill. When Calixtinho, the youngest son, comes of age, Geracina incites him against Lopes to avenge the death of his brother and the outrages suffered by the family.