Brazil 1839. Aninha Ribeira da Silva, called Anita, is a bubbly and passionate 18-year girl, who dreams to leave the small town where she lives. All of the girl's dreams, however, fade away when Manuel, an aged craftsman who lives nearby, asks her to marry him and her mother persuades her to accept so that she can help support her family. While Anita sheds hot tears for that forced marriage a young Italian seaman, who had been sentenced to death by the Genoa martial court, lands in Rio de Janeiro.