the new romance creates tension and difficulty with mary who has also shared lota's bed, and a decision is made for lota to aid her in adopting a daughter.

a rocky relationship of passionate and ecstatic love alongside poetic and at times tortured loss ensues between the women until 1967 when elizabeth returns to the us.

the film, based on the book flores raras e banalíssimas, (rare and commonplace flowers: the story of elizabeth bishop and lota de macedo soares) by carmen l. de oliveira, shows in depth character development alongside outstanding performances.

furthermore the film is not without a political element as lota is shown to a strong supporter of the brazilian military coup that brings down the brazilian democracy during this time period.