Winner of a Theater talent contest, in which he was the only one to enroll, Belizário da Silva leaves his hometown, and tries to make it in Rio de Janeiro.

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

10-year-old Pixote endures torture, degradation, and corruption at a local youth detention center where two of its members are murdered by policemen who frame Lilica, a 17-year-old trans hustler. Pixote helps Lilica and three other boys escape and they start to make their living by a life of crime which only escalates to more violence and death.

Tired of royalty, the prince of Araquelândia switches identities with a popcorn maker look-alike so he can enjoy Rio de Janeiro's carnival alongside his butler. While the real prince falls into revelry, the false prince finds himself in trouble with the foreign country's political problems, including a corrupt ambassador and a terrorist.

Otavio is an idealistic union leader trying to organize workers at a factory to resist the company's exploitative practices. His son, Tião, one of the employees, is more of a realist and doesn't want to risk losing his job by striking. This clash of perspectives puts the father and son at odds. Fortunately, Tião's mother, Romana, is on hand to act as a moderator between the two opinionated men.

A man who's memorized his town's telephone directory tries his luck on a TV Show. But a small group of people who control the bettings in town try to get advantage of his simple-mindedness.

The film narrates the adventures of the trickster Juca Moleza in the carnival while he has to deal with the consequences of the scams he applied to people of high society.

A group of scoundrels want to make it by planning hoaxes.

A millionaire Aníbal sponsor a car racing, the "Youth's Rally". A couple, Helena and Fernando, want to be part of the competition but after a fight between both, they decide to compete in a team only with men and another one with women.