The plot begins in 1985, in the city of Remanso, when friends Pedro, Pasqual and Xampu get together for João Marcos' bachelor party. The spree ends at a waterfall, where Salete is murdered. During the ceremony of his marriage to Lenita, João Marcos is arrested, along with his three friends, and all are sentenced to 21 years in prison for the murder of Salete – a crime they did not commit. After seven years in prison, the four friends return to Remanso on parole, but Shampu, seriously ill, dies. Emilia, her mother, does not accept her son's death and starts to hate Pedro, whom she blames for all his suffering. She does what she can to disrupt his relationship with her daughter Flávia. Pedro, Pasqual and João Marcos still have to face Sérgio Santarém, who goes to great lengths to get them back in prison.