AllMovie

A young girl finds excitement and adventure in the jungles of Brazil in this family-oriented drama. Taina (Eunice Baia) is a young girl who, after the death of her mother and father, is living with her grandfather in a jungle near the Amazon River. When her grandfather unexpectedly passes on, Taina isn't sure where to turn, and wanders into the forest, where she's taken in by Isabel (Branca Camargo), a scientist who is doing research on drugs that could cure jungle fever. Taina and Isabel soon bond with one another, but Isabel's self-centered son, Joninho (Caio Romei), doesn't care for the new addition to the family. Taina's pet monkey, Catu, quickly attracts the attention of an animal poacher, while Meg (Betty Erthal), another scientist doing research in the jungle, will do anything to prevent Isabel from discovering the jungle fever vaccine first. Taina and Catu are lured deep into the forest by mean-spirited Joninho, but his prank soon backfires when he finds himself lost in the wilds with Taina. As Isabel and her pilot friend, Rudy (Jairo Mattos), search for the missing children, the poachers hope to find them first in order to get their hands on Catu, while Meg wants the kids as ransom bait in order to get her hands on Isabel's research findings.