Manô, an obscure and anonymous character from popular comedies of the 1920s, escapes the destruction of an old movie studio, materializing into the real world from a celluloid film. Manô tries to adapt and survive in present-day Lisbon, for which he is unprepared. Mariana, an unemployed photographer, meets Manô and tries to help him discover the reason for his return, despite Marco, a psychologist with little sense of humor, disliking this clumsy black-and-white character.

The film is set in a small rural town that is haunted by the undead. Only one man seems to be able to stop them, and that is Lúcio, a worker whose wife recently turned into a zombie, forcing him to keep her locked in the basement. In a local tavern he finds a second shot at true love, but this blooming romance is threatened by the situation plaguing the town.