The central character of the story is Salomé, a woman ahead of her time. Bold and rebellious, the young woman scandalizes Parisian society by performing a veiled dance in which she is semi-nude. The news reaches Brazil, and her mother, Santa, and her stepfather, Antunes, worried about the girl's reputation, decide that she must leave Paris. Antunes travels to fetch Salomé, and she only agrees to return to her country of origin if her inseparable friends, Berta and Ruggero, go with her. Antunes agrees, and they all leave together. In Brazil, Salomé goes to live on the Pindorama farm in São Paulo, where her mother awaits her. There she meets Duda, with whom she falls in love. Duda owned the Pindorama farm, but his father, Colonel Venâncio, in debt, was forced to sell the property to Antunes. The pain of losing the farm led Venâncio to commit suicide. Some time later, Duda, unemployed, returned to the farm and began a secret romance with Santa.