Vicente, seventeen, lives with brother Nino, ten-years-old, and his ailing father in a derelict house on the outskirts of the capital. They don't seem to remember their mother, and are very much attached to their father, despite his temper, and his frequent absences from home. One day, the father leaves for good, and Vicente and Nino swear to cover it up. It's their secret. Clara, the primary school assistant, is fascinatingly beautiful, and secretive, and (may be) she knows it aswel. There are other secrets, though: the origin of the money that appears at Vicente's house; the relationship between Vicente's well-to-do uncle and his girlfriend; the relationship between the four people who once played the cards together, and now can't stand each other

黑人移工里奥莫名从工地一跃而下，陷入昏迷；护士玛丽安娜为了逃离她在里斯本的生活，自愿陪着里奥回到家乡――前葡萄牙殖民地佛得角。在这个岩浆不断喷发的火山岛上，不谙方言的她虽无法与当地人沟通，却能感受到一股神祕的死亡力量，并经历了一段无疾而终的爱情。在玛丽安娜的私密旅程中，关于殖民的伤痕、爱与孤独之忧郁意象不言而喻。