Set in the 17th century Brazilian plantation, the novel begins with describing Almeyda’s life when she was a young girl. She lives with her enslaved mother and eccentric grandmother. Almeyda is a bright girl, curious about the world around her. That is how Almeyda notices a black woman who one day arrives at the plantation.
The woman is revealed to come from Palmares, her appearance and her words reveal that she is not a slave. Palmares is revealed to be a refuge for the enslaved, and once they escape there they are free from the shackles. Almeyda decides to go there. Almeyda’s voyage to Palmares is filled with strange occurrences and people. She meets people from various backgrounds, Muslims and African, witches and painters.
Once she arrives at Palmares, Almeyda learns that it is not a perfect sanctuary. There she meets a woman who is still a slave called Nobrega. It makes Almeyda question the constructs of Palmares and notions of race and womanhood within traditional and unstable bounds.
