In the small impoverished town of Asa Branca, located in the heart of Brazil's Northeast, Roque Santeiro is revered as a saint. He was allegedly killed by a bandit 18 years ago while trying to save the local church. After his disappearance, local figures like landowner Sinhozinho Malta and Mayor Florindo exploited the situation to control the humble populace. They even concoct a widow, Porcina, who was supposed to have secretly married Roque before his death. What they don’t anticipate is that Roque is alive and has returned to, supposedly, "save his people." Now Malta, Florindo, Porcina, and others must restrain him and present the "truth" to their constituents in a desperate effort to save their own skins. Meanwhile, mysterious events unfold in Asa Branca, including a Werewolf, a film crew attempting to shoot a movie about Roque's story, and violent murderers.
