Rui was raised in Mozambique in a small village at the frontier of a mysterious river. Son of Portuguese colonists, his best friend is Ana, a black girl godchild of his mother. At fourteen he is confronted with the tragic destruction of his childhood and has to learn to recognize two distinct realities - the European and the African.

Tizangara, Mozambique. After the peace agreement. A mystery. UN soldiers exploding. An investigation is begun and Massimo is appointed to solve the mystery. Joaquim will have to translate, not only the words but the facts, in order for him to understand.

A young Mozambican man named Lourenço comes to Portugal and stays in his brother's place. Meanwhile, a suspicious man named Khossa, who's a friend of Lourenço's brother, offers him a job proposal.

Ronaldo is Brazilian, from good families and has a problem. His left hand is nailed to his father's table. The reason: Ronaldo has been abusing cocaine which has led him to accumulate debt. Their executioners did not forgive the fact that they had to travel once more, and again in vain, to Ronaldo's parents' cottage where he has been hiding. After confronting some characters (all of them seem sinister in Ronaldo's distorted gaze), the Brazilian manages to solve his problems, as if from a dream.

A African man lives a difficult life, as so many Africans do. As usual, he catches two buses to go to work, but something unusual happens.