A whirlwind of adventures and misadventures, violent feelings and passions, tragic and illegitimate loves on a journey through Portugal, France, Italy, and Brazil. In an intrigue-filled Lisbon of hidden identities, a series of figures influence the fate of Pedro da Silva, an orphan from a boarding school: Father Dinis, a former libertine aristocrat who becomes a vigilante, a countess consumed by jealousy and thirsty for revenge, and a bloodthirsty pirate turned prosperous businessman. All of them traverse the history of the 19th century and help Pedro in his search for identity. Based on the eponymous 1854 novel by Portuguese writer Camilo Castelo Branco. Winner of the Critics’ Prize at the 34th Mostra.

Paulo Branco receives the Leon Cakoff Prize at this 50th Mostra.