Rafael (Jairo Mattos), a mysterious wandering craftsman, arrives in a small, isolated town in Minas Gerais during the 1940s. He takes a job working for the elderly blacksmith Mestre Juca (Nelson Dantas). Rafael's arrival disrupts the stagnant household, stoking intense sexual desire and emotional rivalry between Juca's unfulfilled, mature wife Donana (Marília Pêra) and his young stepdaughter/relative Sinhá (Leandra Leal). As Rafael engages in passionate encounters with both women, jealousy and obsession destroy the household's fragile balance.