Cruel and brave Brazilian outlaw called Corisco, living in the backcountry in the Northeast, an arid region, rapes 12-year-old Dadá, who becomes his woman, following him and his gang. Although they were supposed to fight against social injustice, they terrorized the small villages along their way.

Ceará, 1889. Father Cícero Romão Batista ministers to the faithful in the parish of Juazeiro do Norte. Among them is Maria de Araújo, a simple and religious woman who, on receiving communion from the hands of father Cícero, transforms it into blood.

In the 40s, a sergeant is ordered to escort a political prisoner from Paulo Afonso to Aracaju, Brazil. During the trip, there's a change in the Government and he is ordered to release the prisoner. But he decides to go all the way.

Otavio is an idealistic union leader trying to organize workers at a factory to resist the company's exploitative practices. His son, Tião, one of the employees, is more of a realist and doesn't want to risk losing his job by striking. This clash of perspectives puts the father and son at odds. Fortunately, Tião's mother, Romana, is on hand to act as a moderator between the two opinionated men.

After a heavy rain storm, several vehicles get stuck on a muddy road. Soon hunger and fatigue change people's manners, making them behave in a very noncivilized way.