A Indomada

Synopsis

Greenville is a fictional town on the northeastern coast of Brazil. It is built in the image of old England due to the influence of the British who, a long time before, had built the Great Western Railway. The Greenvillenses (Greenville citizens) strictly adhere to the British traditions.

Producers of sugar and molasses made this region a very wealthy place for decades; Among them is the Monguaba Factory, owned by the richest and most traditional family in Greenville, the Mendonça e Albuquerque.

Eulalia, the heiress of Monguaba, falls for the cane cutter Zé Leandro. Eulalia's older brother, Pedro Afonso, suspects Zé Leandro and forbids their relationship, going as far as threatening him. Eulalia helps Zé Leandro escape and he vows to return one day to bring her with him. Months later, Eulalia gives birth to a daughter, Lucia Helena (known only as Helena), whom she teaches to wait for her father.

Fifteen years later, a stranger named Teobaldo Faruk, arrives in town and is enamored with Eulalia; however, she is still waiting for Zé Leandro. Maria Altiva, Pedro Afonso's wife, humiliates Teobaldo, saying that a stranger without a penny is not worth approaching a Mendonça e Albuquerque. Teobaldo vows revenge and discovers that Pedro Afonso, a gambling addict, owes money to several people to whom he signed promissory notes.

One day, Zé Leandro returns, ready to flee with Eulalia and Helena and start a new life with them with the fortune he accrued from mining. After arranging the flight, he teaches Helena the value of land. However, the fleeing boat sinks and Zé Leandro drowns on the spot. Eulalia also dies, asking Helena to trust Theobaldo, who had become rich.