The novela opens with Xica (played by Taís Araújo) as a young, defiant slave on the farm of Judge José Ramos da Costa. After his death, she is sold to the Cota family, where she suffers intense jealousy from the women of the house.
The telenovela also sparked a renewed interest in the life of Francisca da Silva de Jesus, the real-life Xica da Silva, who became a symbol of resistance against slavery and oppression. xica da silva novela completa