At the turn of the 20th century, a few years after the end of slavery, São Paulo grew, received immigrants, modernized itself and lived the benefits of a booming economy. The tale presented here approaches history from a different perspective to narrate a short period of time in the lives of three women of the Soares family – a white family who, unlike many others in the neighborhood, lost money with the end of slavery and couldn't change the old habits. Situated between a rich past in the coffee farm and a grim and uncertain future in the city after the abolition, the women cannot find their place in the metropolis. Gradually, they prefer isolation at home in the central area of town. There, Isabel, Ana and Maria surrender to sadness and longing for the “man of the house”, the father, who left them to return to work in the countryside. And, above all, they experience an impossible nostalgia, the nostalgia of slavery. The accumulation of all these feelings of inadequacy eventually leads one of the daughters to madness. The Dead uses this important moment of our history to think about several specific issues that still pervade social relations in Brazil, and also the structuring of our cities. The years that followed the end of slavery and the proclamation of the Republic were driven by very significant changes in the organization of Brazilian society, and in the current times of restructuring the contradictions of our country are still more evident. To look back at this particular time helps us to illuminate our understanding of the way Brazil is organized today – and in a city like São Paulo, the layers of history can be dug in every street, every building, on every story.