In a remote village in Alentejo, the train is the only connection to the world and to the politics of the capital. The news of the establishment of the Republic is spread by telegraph, but in this Alentejo village, telegraph operator Miguel Zuzarte is a staunch monarchist who hides the message he has received from everyone. For days, the people wonder about the absence of the train, and the telegraph operator does everything he can to cover up the unreported news. The train will return to the village, and the impact of the end of the monarchy is not what one might imagine.

João and Jaime work as taxi drivers for the same company. But, once the company's vault is robbed by Raul, the manager's son, João is the one to blame.

Two neighboring villages fight over control of a stream to water their lands.

Zé Alberto and Laura are lovers, and have a clandestine and permanently threatened relationship. Zé Alberto is married to Fernanda, Laura's sister, whose husband is in prison for murder. Fernanda is aware of Laura's relationship with her husband and constantly threatens them to tell Armando everything. Laura and Armando have a daughter - Sónia - whose greatest defect is greediness and the highest quality to cover up her mother's romance with her uncle. The fear of the two lovers increases and events precipitate when they receive the news that Armando is about to go on parole ...

Once the boss started deducting a third of the workers' wages on the pretext that it was necessary to purchase new machines in order to compete, a group of workers went on strike, occupied the company, but were expelled from their workplace by the police. Out on the street, the workers think about the best way to make their comrades and the general population aware of the seriousness of their situation. They then decide, by mutual agreement, following the humorous tradition of cegadas and popular theater, to improvise a satirical performance in which they denounce some typical examples of capitalist exploitation. From the bandstand, which serves as their rehearsal stage, to the final procession, which unexpectedly takes on a different tone, the workers learn and teach us how scathing and uncompromising criticism of capitalist institutions can be transformed into a celebration of struggle, joy, and unity.

Lola and Maria are two Spanish young ladies engaged to Franz and Pepe, all so eager to spend their honeymoon that the moment seems never to come, as all sorts of problems pave their way.