The first in a trilogy of films which explores life in the shantytown of Las Fontainhas, Bones tackles the hardship of teenage pregnancy in this impoverished setting. A young mother struggles with her new responsibilities while the baby's equally naïve father exploits the child as a prop in order to beg for money on the streets of Lisbon. The film is noted for the introduction of Costa's muse, Vanda Duarte, who provides one of its brighter notes as the young mother's confidant.