Mariano and his friends are helping their parents turn an old Brazilian coffee plantation into an inn. The children sleep in a shed, which is being converted into guest rooms. One night they hear crying. Gradually, the ghost of Rosario, a young slave from the late 1800s appears to them and tells the story of why she is so sad.

Hans Christian Andersen Award-winning author Ana Maria Machado's storytelling skills and social conscience come together in this powerful and moving book that reveals the evil of slavery in a real, immediate and unforgettable way.