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Résumé :
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Salvador de Bahia an ill wind is blowing through the old quarter of the city. This powerful debut has already evoked comparisons to the Brazilian film City of God. On a vibrant square in Salvador, a small community, although impoverished, lives in harmony: Maria Aparecida, former carnival queen; Ivone, the beautiful, naïve convent guardian who dreams of becoming an actress; Padre Denilson, full of compassion and understanding for his wretched parishioners; seven-year-old Sergio, who sells sweets and perfumed napkins to support his whole family; Zé and Manuel, two gay teenagers begging to survive. Despite the hardships they are forced to endure, it is their deep-rooted sense of community and positive outlook which protects them from the violent chaos that rules Brazil?s two major metropoles. Suddenly a stranger called Gringa enters this small world, and everything starts to change: Maria has disappeared, one-eyed Tonio has stopped singing and Mama Lourdes foresees nothing but tragedy. One by one, the inhabitants of the Square, tired of their provincial existence and dazzled by the urban glamour portrayed on their favourite soap opera, depart for the cities of Rio and São Paulo. However, the reality of life in the cities? favelas is a bitter disappointment - a tough game of survival guaranteed to harden even the most tender of hearts.
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