The Train of Salt and Sugar

Early in the journey, rain damages the track and halts progress. Repairs are attempted, but progress remains stalled. Seven Ways, the commander, orders immediate departure at night, signaling that danger may come from within as well as from guerrilla forces.

Two soldiers attempt to breach the cargo at Namina. The younger soldier reveals his nickname, Bayonet, underscoring the brutal street-level violence ahead. Conductor Adriano Gil watches the tension rise as threats loom from both guerrillas and the crew.

A small guerrilla unit launches an assault, wounding a passenger. The attackers had already destroyed roughly 700 meters of track, forcing civilians to repair the damage. In the ensuing trouble, five civilians lose their lives, showing the brutal cost of the journey.

As dusk falls, Rosa shares a quiet moment with Taiar, revealing a longing to move to Cuamba. Taiar opens up about his past, admitting he wanted to become an agriculturalist but was drafted after finishing high school.

The convoy reaches Ribáuè, a town that has been ransacked and abandoned. Rosa witnesses the execution of an alleged spy in civilian clothes, a stark display of the regime’s ruthlessness. The scene underscores how power is exercised with impunity in war.

Salomão commands Baioneta to beat a man pleading for his wife. Taiar confronts the abuses, and Seven Ways calls for a hearing to address the violence, but Salomão refuses to testify, signaling complicity and fear within the unit.

Departing at 6 A.M., the train’s stated configuration is outlined for the journey. A gruesome display—Florindo’s head on a pike—is used as intimidation, and some blame guerrilla Commander Xipoco for the violence. The train is halted again when tracks are blown up by mines, prompting urgent defensive preparation.

The convoy faces a water shortage at Iapala, forcing Taiar to improvise and fetch water from a nearby lake. Seven Ways radios ahead to scout potential threats, maintaining some tactical control. The journey continues despite the logistical strain.

During a clash, Seven Ways is injured by a landmine, but the convoy presses on. In the chaos, Amelia gives birth on the moving train, a rare moment of new life amid ongoing violence. Seven Ways struggles to recover and keep the convoy moving forward.

At a river crossing, Rosa receives a gift of chicken from Taiar, triggering jealousy in Salomão who vows to claim her by the journey’s end. Taiar confronts Salomão, slapping him as the tension escalates among the convoy’s officers.

The train endures another ambush after hitting a landmine. Taiar kills Xipoco during the fighting, restoring a momentary sense of order. The battle costs lives: Amelia dies in the chaos, and Salomão shoots Taiar in the aftermath.

As the line nears Malemba, Xipoco is publicly hanged from the front car, a grim display meant to enforce fear and control. The act deepens the moral toll on the convoy as the survivors press on.

Taiar dies in Rosa’s arms during the final stretch toward safety, a moment that underscored the human cost of the journey. In the last scene, a military truck carries Taiar’s body beside the departing train, emphasizing the toll of violence on those who survived.