On a scorching summer day in Rio de Janeiro, five impoverished black boys venture out of their favela to peddle peanuts throughout the bustling city. As they navigate the various districts of Rio, they bear witness to a series of unfortunate events and encounters, unfolding a vivid tapestry of urban life in Rio de Janeiro during that period. These true misadventures shed light on the gritty reality of the city, unveiling its vibrant urban tapestry.

Taxi driver gets in a jam when he receives a lot of money as inheritance from a distant family member when in fact, the money came from a bank robbery.

Hillbilly avoids a train disaster, becoming a hero. A dishonest politician tries to take advantage of the fact, to promote himself.

Two friends are looking for a quiet place where they can rest awhile. Soon they find the town they'd chosen to go is far from quiet. In fact, it's ruled by outlaws. And one of them is mistaken for the "Avenging Gunman", defender of the law.

Two robbers flee to Brazil with a cabaret singer after robbing a bank.

Maos Sangrentas translates to Bloody Hands in English, and that's just what this gruesome Brazilian melodrama delivers. The story begins when a gang of dangerous convicts escape from a penal colony. With the police in hot pursuit, the escapees cut a gory swath through the countryside. As his comrades are killed off one by one, the leader of the group descends into gibbering madness. In contrast to this, a subplot develops involving the least dangerous of the escapees, who murdered his wife in a peak of self-righteous rage and is now seriously in doubt about the wisdom of his deed. Principal scenes reworked in 1962 to make the film The Violent and the Damned (q.v.).

A millionaire businessman must deal simultaneously with the kidnap of his wife and his worker's strike.

The story of the confusion experienced by Aparicio Boamorte who works in the Zoo and has a giraffe as a confidante to vent the scolding he takes of all the people with whom he relates.