A woman who has recently returned to her hometown village in remote, northeastern Brazil after two years of living in São Paolo refuses to allow the actions of others to dictate her fate as she keeps her eyes towards new horizons in director Karim Aïnouz's follow-up to his dynamic feature debut Madame Satã. Hermilla (Hermilla Guedes) is a single mother living a marginal existence in modern day São Paolo. Upon returning to the village in which she was raised to await the arrival of her husband, Hermilla longs for the day that her family will become whole. Her hopes gradually fade, however, when it becomes painfully obvious to Hermilla that both she and her newborn son have been abandoned. Secrets are scarce in a village such as Hermilla's, and when word gets out about her dire situation the optimism of the once hopeful mother is quickly corroded by feelings of failure and humiliation. Though she briefly rekindles a relationship with former boyfriend João Miguel (João Miguel), Hermilla's painful realization that there is no returning to the past, coupled with an enlightening conversation with thoughtful prostitute Georgina (Georgina Castro), prods the troubled mother into devising a foolproof plan to finally break free of her troubled past. After adopting the name Suely as a means of both distancing herself from her family and preparing herself for the bold journey that lies ahead, the newly transformed Hermilla determines to raffle off a most unconventional prize to finance her flight into the future.
~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide