Ash Wednesday

In a favela in Rio de Janeiro, the last day of Carnival is drawing to a close. The presence of the military, which has lasted for more than thirty years, is a constant companion in everyday life, shots are heard incessantly. The single mother Demétria is waiting for her daughter Cora to come home from school. In the meantime, a violent police raid breaks out in her neighborhood. As night falls and she clings to the fading hope of finding Cora alive, Demétria is visited by three characters in turn - a police officer, the local pastor, and the governor of the state.