Sissi, the young daughter of an unemployed widower, struggles to support her family, while dreams of sharing an apartment with her boyfriend, a soccer player. Martina, who has a more stable financial situation, struggles to be desired again by her adman husband, or by whoever is around. Giane has already changed her life, and can influence Sissi's future. According to Professor Valadares, these three women are only trying to satiate their most basic appetites: Food, Sex, and Fasma.

Brazil, 1961. In the underground of the Piratini Palace, the governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Leonel Brizola, awaits a bombing by the Brazilian armed forces. The country is on the verge of a civil war, following the resignation of president Jânio Quadros and the movement to keep vice-president João Goulart from taking office. Using the radio transmitter from his improvised bunker, Brizola sets up the Legality movement, to ensure Goulart's right to the presidential chair. Caught in the crossfire, two brothers who are in love with the same woman unite to fight alongside Brizola.