On her birthday, Joana's joy turns to despair when her abusive husband discovers her pregnancy and attempts to harm her. Fleeing the city, she finds refuge on a boat with criminals, but realizing the danger, she sees land beyond so leaps into the water and swims to Terceira Island, leaving her life behind. Exhausted on the shore, she encounters Chico, a lost child, during a religious ceremony. Joana arrives with the child, inadvertently becoming mistaken for a saint 'Our Lady of the Sea', revered by the island's faithful.
Cuba Libre tells the story of Annie Silva Pais, the daughter of the last PIDE director, Silva Pais. At the age of 30, Annie Silva Pais left her husband, family and country and left for Cuba, becoming involved in the Cuban revolution. In addition to other events, there is also a romance with Che Guevara.