Tó and Pedro are cyclists from rival clubs, sponsored by small, highly competitive local companies: Famel (bicycles) and Caves (wines). Their competition extends to girls. Clara, the school teacher, ends up by marrying Tó, after he suffers a nasty accident which Pedro was involved - or that may have been Pedro's fault. 1 year later, it's again competition day when Clara gives birth to a son, and a similar head-to-head race finish...

The struggle between two friends: one, symbolizes the deepest incredulity about religion; the other, priest Manuel, endures insults with stoic resignation, but doesn't give up on installing words of faith in the hope of recovering his soul for God. In a pathetic atmosphere, in which everyone defends the primacy of their beliefs, they feel surrounded by a bundle of circumstances linked to a secret of love, with an unexpected and disconcerting outcome ...

Passion and ambition interplay to bring dissention and tragedy into the home of an old fisherman married to a much younger woman.

After two years of fighting in Angola, Ilídio returns to the village where Mary, whom he considered his bride, is indifferent. She is convinced that she has a religious calling.

A peaceful head of the family wins the lottery, changing the family's life.