The plot addresses Maria Luísa's struggle for freedom, the struggle for rights and privileges that, at the time, were reserved almost exclusively to men. Maria Luísa decides to assume a false identity - that of a man.

Based on true life events, 'The General' tells us the story of an island woman, tired of her life and mainly tired of her condition as a woman. For her, being a woman means inferiority and submission that makes her feel the need to "reborn"... she decides to simulate her own suicide, on the pretext of a heartbreak. Challenging all the rules, and under a false identity of a General, Maria Luísa becomes Octávio, a man whose moral conduct is doubtful. Selfish and obstinate, this man can deceive anyone opening a door to his schemes. Maria Luísa can keeps her true identity in secret for many years, but her ambition betrays her and ends up getting caught by law. We follow the legal and moral trial of this woman, that even choosing the most winding and unorthodox path, is nothing more than a survivor trying to adapt to an hostile world. More than a criminal story, this is a story of survival and struggle for freedom.—thetvdb