In Mozambique, in a large rural property, a black Foreman (Gabriel Chiau) subjects the workers to endless hours of hard labour. One day, the Foreman rapes Maria (Helena Ubisse), the daughter of Madala (Estevão Macunguel), the elder worker and the wise-man respected by all his comrades. The men ask him to say the word, and they would take revenge for him, but he is physically and heartbroken to fight back and lead the men. He accepts meekly his destiny, drinks a large gulp of brandy the Foreman offers him, and goes to work. That day, the rasping words and menacing attitude of the Foreman are worse then usual, or so the labourers feel - until Madala falls dead. Then, as one, the men surround and hit the Foreman, not with the weapons they had in their hands - picks and shovels - but with their naked fists. Before they can do real harm to him, the foreign Land Owner arrives on horseback, shoots a warning shot, and re-sets his law and order on his large piece of land.