As if adolescence is not hard enough, a young, fatherless teenager living in a small town in the Brazilian heartland, confronts a degenerative eye disease that will ultimately leave him blind. As his vision deteriorates, he goes through the pain and confusion of his unreciprocated first love, and ultimately will have to learn first-hand how to see life with different eyes.

In the heart of the Brazilian backlands, Agreste tells the story of Etevaldo, a nomadic and reserved rural worker who carries a dark secret. When he meets Maria, a free-spirited young woman promised in marriage to an influential man from the neighborhood, the two fall deeply in love. Forced to flee due to the imminent wedding and the threats they face, they are taken in by Valda, a religious woman who sees Maria as her own daughter. While they try to find refuge, the arrival of Ribamar, the local sheriff's nephew, intensifies the tension. He is investigating an alleged theft, and his investigations begin to reveal Etevaldo's past, which fuels the hatred of the local community. Amid chaos, love and the struggle for survival challenge Etevaldo and Maria, testing secrets, betrayals, and a growing pressure from a society that does not accept their union.