In the mid-1970s, Teresa’s native land, Mozambique, drowns in violence while the young and sheltered teenager daydreams about perfect love. Driven from her African berth, Teresa flees with her family to a post-revolutionary Portugal where the morals of the past and hopes for the future will soon collide. Raised by her grandparents, two people traumatized by losses that send their protective instincts into overdrive, Teresa can’t have a private conversation on the phone, or even go to a nightclub with her classmates. Living in a drab and backward country, Teresa takes her first steps in the world of romantic relationships. She seeks out a knight in shining armor, but each new boyfriend chips away at her fantasies and makes it clear she must strive for equality, stand up for her beliefs and the boundaries of her body. And no one will test her convictions more strenuously than Diogo, the riding coach who pops into her life like a dream only to reveal himself a nightmare.