WHEN his older brother is killed, Tonho (Rodrigo Santoro) is ordered by his father to avenge his death.

Tonho, however, is torn between the request of his father and his want to end the feuding between these two rival families.

Knowing that fulfilling this duty will lead to Tonho's death, his younger brother Pacu (Ravi Ramos) urges him to rebel against their fathers' wishes.

Before he has time to make his decision a tiny circus travels through Tonho's hometown.

Set in the Brazilian badlands of 1910 this film shows the dilemmas faced by the young men brought up in a tradition of violence.