Soon the white settlers realize that they are not alone: a group of descendants of runaway slaves live in the area, in a settlement—generally known as a quilombo—they call "The Island" because it is the only permanently fertile spot in a sea of sand where it rains only during the rainy season.
As the white settlers begin to settle in the area, they soon become aware that they are not alone: a community of individuals, who are descendants of escaped slaves, have established a settlement in the vicinity, which they refer to as "The Island," due to its unique characteristic of being the only area with permanent fertility in an otherwise harsh and arid environment.