In northeastern Brazil around 1900, landowners ruled according to their own laws. But one day the farmer's son Virgulino resists the arbitrary rule and gathers a sworn community of outlaws around him. Under the name Lampião, he begins a guerrilla war against injustice that soon dominates the entire northeast of Brazil. But the more successful he is, the more mercilessly he is hunted, and he can no longer be safe from betrayal. With this novel, the author and Brazil expert Dirk Hegmanns creates an authentic and fascinating picture of Brazil at a time that marks the beginning of major upheavals in the country's society.