Rachel, a Portuguese orphan and New Christian, arrives in Brazil as the bride of a wealthy plantation owner. After escaping to the Dutch Recife, she crosses the paths of five women with whom the protagonist shares the stories of their lives, and those of Brazil.

Through Rachel's eyes, the reader witnesses the plight of indigenous peoples, slaves, and a leper scultpor, the extraction of diamonds and wealth from the land, the tragic destruction of Amazon forests, and the promise of a backlands messiah.