A cowboy narrates his 'jagunço' life of disputes, revenges, loves and deaths, through the years that he traveled central-east Brazil, in the first decades of the 20th century, while federal troops were in conflict with provincial forces.
In the backlands amidst power struggles and land disputes, Riobaldo recalls his journey among bandits, marked by wars, revenge, and an intense involvement with the mysterious Diadorim.