 Based on a famous autobiography, this film tells of teenage angst, as lived in the miserable lower middle class Rio bedroom suburbs, by 15 year-old Eliane (Fernanda Torres). To boot, she comes from a dysfunctional family. Her mother (Marieta Severo) is particularly neurotic and bitter, at odds with virtually everything her daughter does. The film strives to be a realistic and sensitive portrayal of human relationships in one of Brazil s poorest urban landscapes.