In an extremely poor region in the Northeast of Brazil, a group of soldiers try to stop the population from sacking a food deposit.
In 1963, in the village of Milagres in a very poor area of Brazil, a group of soldiers arrive to protect the store of a politician from a group of starving people. They have rifles for guarding the food and avoid the sacking by the population. One of the soldiers, completely drunken, kills a local in a dispute with his colleagues for killing a goat. The truck driver Gaúcho (Átila Iório) revolts against the passivity of a father that has just lost his little daughter, who died of starvation, and the pacific population that only prays and follows a preacher, and fights against the soldiers.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Northeast, 1963. Police officers arrive in the city to prevent the population that has nothing to eat, invade and sack a food depot. The owner of the warehouse has great damage, because he sells wire and does not receive, a situation aggravated by government default that does not pay the bonus he owes. Mario, one of the soldiers, meets Luiza, who lives in the city. In the warehouse, another police officer uses his authority to explain the operation of a weapon. Gaucho, a truck driver, manages to overcome him in the preparation of the weapon. The policeman feels demoralized in front of everyone. Mario says that Gaucho is the friend who saved him during a sad operation to expel squatters while still a soldier. They talk. Gaucho questions the local situation and says he does not understand the government, that instead of sending food, when the population is starving, sends soldiers. While they are waiting for the truck that will carry food, the policemen, stranded, bet to see if they hit a kid who ran away. When firing, the policeman hits a man, the owner of the kid. In order not to create malaise in the population, they say the man was found dead and who killed him was an outsider. Gaucho insinuated to Mario and Ze that they, along with other police officers, had killed the man. Mario goes to the man's wake, because Luiza is there. Sad, she insults him, saying distrust of them, but then kisses him. The truck arrives to take the food from the warehouse. The policemen, scared, watch everything under starving eyes of the population, who watch the food go away. A man arrives at the bar asking for a box to bury his son, who died of hunger. The Gaucho revolts with the passivity and cowardice of the population. Steal the gun from cop Zé and shoot the truck. In the exchange of shots, Gaucho dies. Mario is desolate. He says goodbye to Luiza and leaves with the other policemen. The ox, which until then was holy to the faithful, is slain and the whole population moves forward to take a piece of meat.
