Two families, who both grow sugar cane, have been squabbling over the ownership of a piece of land for years. The disagreement then turned violent. The Breveses, a much smaller family, have been suffering more than their rivals and a steady drop in sugar prices has also left the family with little but their pride. When the eldest son of the Breves family is killed, his father orders his next-oldest son to kill one of the Ferreira boys. He finds himself questioning the wisdom of this bloody rivalry, and he ponders his fate while spending time with his younger brother.