The story revolves around Luisa Palmeira, born in France from Portuguese immigrants. In 1979, Luisa is eight years old. Almost a grown-up in the eyes of her illiterate mother, she remains just a little girl to her hard-drinking father. One day, he trusts her with a heavy secret: he suffers from a serious illness. But she refuses to believe him and thinks instead that he is hiding something else from her…

　　故事发生在十九世纪末，胡安（胡里奥·阿莱曼 Julio Alemán 饰）是庄园主弗朗西斯科的私生子，一场意外夺走了弗朗西斯科的生命，这也就意味着，胡安的存在将永远的成为一个秘密。为了保护儿子安德烈斯（曼努埃尔·吉尔 Manuel Gil 饰）的安全，弗朗西斯科的妻子索菲亚将安德烈斯送往了法国学习。　　一晃眼多年过去，安德烈斯自法国学成归来，并且邂逅了名为艾美（安赫丽卡·玛丽亚 Angélica María 饰）的女孩，安德烈斯并不知道艾美同时也在和胡安保持着暧昧的关系。当胡安得知艾美即将嫁给安德烈斯后，威逼利诱艾美的姐姐莫妮卡嫁给自己，这段混乱的四角关系让胡安和安德烈斯之间的关系迅速恶化。

Drowning in debt, unemployed boxer Jorge is on the verge of losing his young son and his Brazilian wife. He is one of shocking amounts of Portuguese families and companies unable to repay their loans in the time of European troika bailout measures. Jorge needs to pay off his debts and convince his unhappy wife to not leave Portugal to make a living. Due to his intimidating physique, Jorge must reluctantly accept a job with a collection agency which drags him into a world of violence and crime...

　　In Portugal, a father, a mother and a daughter's daily lives are being subsumed by the effects of the economic crisis.

　　在葡萄牙的北岸，五个不同世代的女人正共同努力经营着她们的家族酒店，试图将它从一个无可避免的衰败中解救出来。与此同时，这个家庭深陷在一个长久无法解决的矛盾之中：她们都学不会爱自己的女儿，也因此她们都不懂要如何当一个母亲。外孙女Salomé（Madalena Almeida 饰）的突然到来搅乱了整个局面，所有的旧伤口都被撕开，潜在与沉积的怨恨都浮出了水面。于是，她的母亲Piedade（Anabela Moreira饰）作出了一个非常大胆的决定。　　本作讲述的是酒店经营者一家的故事，入围第73届柏林电影节主竞赛单元。其姊妹电影《Viver Mal》则是聚焦于到访酒店的客人，入围同一届的奇遇单元。