In 1925, Gabriela, a poor, uneducated, yet charming woman becomes cook, mistress, and then wife of Nacib, a bar owner in Ilhéus, a small Brazilian coastal town run by the local colonels.

Sônia Braga
as Gabriela

Marcello Mastroianni
as Nacib

Antonio Cantafora
as Tonico Bastos

Paulo Goulart
as João Fulgêncio

Tania Boscoli
as Glória

Nicole Puzzi
as Malvina

Flávio Galvão
as Mundinho Falcão

Ricardo Petráglia
as Prof. Josué

Lutero Luiz
as Cel. Manoel das Onças

Jofre Soares
as Cel. Ramiro Bastos