Xiao Li, an albino Chinese immigrant, runs a clandestine massage parlour in the Mouraria district of Lisbon. In this space favourable to free speech, her Chinese clients tell each other stories. Their stories mingle with hers to paint a portrait of a community that lives in isolation.
Driven by a strong desire for independence, Xiao Li separates from her husband Dong Chao despite the financial complications involved. Observing her life for the first time as she is left to her own devices, the young woman reconsiders her existence. At the same time, memories of her life in China begin to resurface.
Xiao Li’s material situation is complicated by the arrival of her daughter from China, but also by the strong real-estate pressure in the city. To get out from under it, she wonders whether she should accept or refuse the strange proposal of one of her wealthy Chinese clients. Interested in religious tourism, he has just invested in the sanctuary of Fatima. In order to attract the Catholic faithful from China, he wants to diversify the representations of Our Lady of Fatima. By turning Xiao Li’s immaculate skin into an asset, he dreams of creating a Virgin Mary in her likeness.
Maya Kosa Sérgio da Costa
