Brazil, late 19th century. The Soares family once owned a coffee plantation, but their way of life has abruptly changed since the abolition of slavery – the mother and two daughters now live in São Paulo, while the father has gone to work on their former property, now owned by others. Neither the three women nor the freed slaves feel quite right in a world where euphoria reigns over the falling of the old order and the modernisation taking place. When their black maid dies, the women slowly turn into ghosts of a lost time.

The directors wanted to look back on history to understand how the country acquired its current features – a political system that remains very favourable to the elite and that fails to diminish the social inequality gap. The plot of the film revolves around three important national holidays – Independence Day, Day of the Dead, and Carnival. In turn, three women portray three different attitudes towards the loss of their accustomed haven of trust, hope and privilege.