In 1910, a Portuguese immigrant drags his pregnant wife, Áurea, and her mother, Maria, to a desolate expanse of sand dunes in Maranhão, Brazil. After he is killed in an accident, the two women are stranded in the harsh, isolated landscape. Spanning 59 years (1910–1969), the narrative follows Áurea and her daughter Maria's desperate attempts to escape, their gradual adaptation to the desert environment, and their evolving relationships with local inhabitants, including a runaway slave descendant and visiting scientists.