Adriana, an orphan who has been raised in a well off family, becomes pregnant after being seduced by a man. Outraged, Mr. Bento kicks her our of home. What he doesn't realize is that her seducer is his own son, Raul, a brilliant law student.
Melancholic and atheist bank clerk Manuel is stuck in a love triangle with two women, the fiery art model Albertina and the quiet and religious Ana Maria. After spending several years working in Africa, Manuel returns to Portugal only to find both women already married, and his life marred by problems.
Luís immigrated to the USA and intends to become an American. But after his father invites him on a journey to the Portuguese territories in Africa, he will find true love, and also learn to value his country and its colonial grandeur.
Falacha is the captain of a fishing boat of Nazaré who lost part of his men in a shipwreck. Among them was the husband of Aunt Aurélia, who holds Falacha responsible for this tragedy. A few years later, Maria, Falacha's daughter, falls in love with Manuel, Aurélia's son, which makes the two young people the new Romeo and Juliet. As for Falacha, he succumbs to social pressure and commits suicide...
Caleidoscope of documentary-like scenes and re-enacted episodes of a day in the life of a large port town - Lisbon, from the old district around Saint George's Castle down to the docks and the 'Sagres' on the Tagus river, to the new commercial districts.
