After breaking off her engagement on her wedding day, a young model heads straight to a brothel and becomes Brazil's most famous prostitute in the 1950s, known as "Hilda Hurricane." Her life takes an unexpected turn when she falls for Malthus, a young novice regarded as a saint but bound by the strict teachings of Father Nelson, a conservative priest who condemns even the slightest sin. Things become more complicated when Roberto, Malthus' old friend and a communist reporter, tries to interview Hilda and uncover the reasons behind her radical transformation, against a backdrop of growing middle-class fears over the leftist threat in Brazilian politics.