On the mean streets of New York City, a dog-eat-dog mentality reigns among the destitute citizens. In one of the many abandoned buildings in the neighborhood of Alphabet City lives the Brazilian Rita La Punta, along with her delinquent son, Thiago, and a gang of Hispanic teens charged with selling heroin and cocaine. When Rita and her young gang members get involved in a minor turf war, the violence escalates out of control, touching everyone and sparing no one.

Seduced by the country, in which German director Dieter Schidor saw a decadent tropical charm, he brought together a varied group of people and involved them in the production.