Zulmira, a Black woman who believes she was adopted by a white couple, Helena and António, learns from Helena on her deathbed that António is actually her biological father. Helena hands her a bundle of letters and asks for forgiveness before passing away. Confused, Zulmira follows the letter's sender address to Cape Verde, searching for her biological mother, Filomena. There, she learns Filomena rejected her due to postpartum depression after being raped by António, a colonial administrator. António escaped punishment, while Filomena was falsely accused of seducing Helena's husband, who chose to cover up the crime and raise Zulmira as her own.