Luzia (Anecy Rocha) travels from Brazil’s Northeast to Rio de Janeiro in search of her fiancé, who made the same journey before her. Once there, her life intersects with three men, and their shared experiences in the “big city” reflects the contradictions, aspirations, and harsh realities faced by the urban poor in Brazilian metropolises. Made during the peak of the Cinema Novo movement, the film draws from and engages in dialogue with Italian Neorealism and the French New Wave. Bold and unrestrained, it foreshadows many of the themes the director would continue to explore throughout his six-decade career.