In the favelas of Rio de Janeiro of the 1930s, João Francisco dos Santos is several things — son of slaves, ex-convict, thug, homosexual and adopted father for a number of pariahs. João expresses himself on the stage of a cabaret as Madame Satã.

In the streets of Rio de Janeiro, survival is the name of the game where the protagonist is an imported 'hot' car. People, from all social levels, will do anything in order to possess it, if only for a few minutes.