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Relatively young, recently widowed Tania (Amelia Coroa) spends so much time grieving over her deceased husband that she completely neglects her prepubescent son Rato (Ludovic Videira). Her negligence comes to bear when it becomes evident that Rato has become a delinquent and stands accused of a couple of petty crimes, which leave him imprisoned in the jail of their small northern Portugal town. Rather than taking the traditional role of concerned mother and agreeing to his reform school sentence, Tania chooses a more nontraditional route and plots a jail break for Rato -- which she succeeds in pulling off. Mother and son, with Rato's girlfriend Liliana (Maria Silva), then flee their rural surroundings for the relative anonymity of Lisbon. Knowing that the police are probably following closely behind, the three decide to travel by foot or by hitching rides from complete strangers -- a choice that soon proves ill-conceived when Tania is raped by a couple of men who had picked them up. Shortly thereafter, the police catch up with them again and take Rato back into custody, leaving Tania to choose her next, probably irrational, move. Mulher Policia (The Policewoman) was selected for inclusion in the non-competitive schedule of the 2003 Berlin International Film Festival.