Rivers of Fate (Pssica), a four-part Brazilian series filmed in Pará and adapted from Edyr Augusto’s novel, follows three interconnected storylines set against the violent backdrop of the Amazon rivers. Janalice (Domithila Catete), a 15-year-old teenager whose private life is exposed, becomes vulnerable to abuse and is eventually caught in a trafficking network. Preá (Lucas Galvino), pushed into leading a gang of river pirates, faces internal disputes while trying to reconcile his role with his conscience. Mariangel (Marleyda Soto), a Colombian woman, seeks vengeance after losing her husband and child to the same gang.
From its beginning, the series shows how crime, exploitation, and failed institutions intertwine to trap individuals in cycles of violence. The finale brings these threads together in a confrontation that seals the fate of each main character.
How the story begins
The narrative opens with Janalice at school, where a leaked intimate video leads to rejection by her peers and indifference from her parents. Sent to live with her aunt, she suffers harassment from the aunt’s boyfriend and befriends Dionete and Miltinho, who reveals that his sister Luzia was kidnapped earlier. This background establishes Janalice’s vulnerability and foreshadows her entrapment in trafficking.
In another thread, Preá steps into leadership of the criminal group operating on jet-skis to raid boats along the rivers. His authority is challenged by Gigante, creating tension inside the group. Meanwhile, Mariangel’s life is devastated when her husband and child are killed during one of the gang’s attacks. Seeking justice, she turns to the police, but official channels fail to act, leaving her with no choice but to pursue revenge on her own.
The abduction of Janalice
Events escalate when Janalice calls her father to describe the abuse at her aunt’s home, but receives no support. Later that night, she is attacked again and, while trying to escape, is kidnapped by…
