Policarpo is a chauvinistic patriot, a major who tries to find solutions for Brazilian problems using only the resources of his own country. His visionary and idealistic temperament is behind his strange ideas about how to build a great nation.

丽塔即将嫁给一个有钱的医生奥古斯托维莱拉。一天晚上，维莱拉最好的朋友，卡米洛因服药过多而被送到医院，险些死亡。维莱拉救了他的命，并介绍了他的未婚妻丽塔认识。丽塔爱上了卡米洛，她很困惑，不知道该怎么做，于是女孩去算命，寻求意见。