Monarchists and republicans come together in Araruna, a small fictional town in the interior of São Paulo, in 1886. The novel depicts the love story of the beautiful and affluent Sinhá Moça - daughter of the slave, Barão Ferreira de Araruna, and the gentle and submissive Mother Candida - with the young abolitionist lawyer Dr. Rodolfo Fontes - son of Dr. Fontes, and the homemaker Inêz. Together, they confront the challenges in the fight for the abolition of slavery.
