Suddenly, in the sumptuous darkness of a neighborhood haunted by solemn shadows, the deep red of bloody sheets. Vitalina Varela is too late; all she can do now is settle her husband’s affairs. She will mourn no unfortunates: facing bitter and fallen men, she resolves to rebuild the memory of a solid shared house in Cape Verde, blueprint by blueprint and wall by wall, fighting the sad reality of a life that could not be built under a decent roof in Portugal.