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.

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.

While navigating from Rio de Janeiro to Vitória, the stewards Didi (Renato Aragão) and Dedé (Dedé Santana) and the inexperienced captain of the passenger vessel Anna Nery flirt with a group of models. In the return trip, Didi and Dedé simulate that the ship is sinking, and with another steward, they kidnap the captain and use a liferaft to go to a desert island with four models. But the island is the hidden place of a dangerous gang of smugglers, jeopardizing the group.

Otavio has to find and marry Madame Bettina's daughter if he wants to inherit her fortune.

Carlito, a bank clerk in Rio de Janeiro, is an engrained megalomaniac. Aided by his girlfriend Marta, he executes a wild plan that involves Milton de Souza, a married businessman, director of a factory.

"Lula, 'bon vivant' who subsists at the expense of small blows, goes on with his life without a present or future purpose. Basically, he just tries to forget having been abandoned by his fiancee Helena, who gave in to his father's imposition. The situations in which he gets involved from then on are paradoxical, trying to survive in the best possible way and spending money he doesn't have, but which comes to him in one way or another. On a day of complete despair, Lula meets a group of "hippies" and leaves catechized. Willing to anything, he becomes a preacher of new customs and new ethics of life. In turn, Helena, whose marriage had failed, dreams of meeting Lula again, hoping to return to his arms.

Tatá is a typical Rio de Janeiro guy, easy living, hedonistic, living in an apartment in one of those buildings where everything goes, in Copacabana, near the beach. One day a beautiful new neighbor, Teresa, moves into the apartment in front of his, and he falls in love.