At a bar table, old samba singer and composer Adoniran Barbosa tells a young waiter stories about a São Paulo that no longer exists. He fondly remembers the maloca where he lived with Joca and Mato Grosso, their passion for Iracema and other characters eternalized in his sambas, chronicles of a metropolis swallowed up by the voracious appetite of progress.

Rafael is a rich man who wants to hire a killer, promising in return, a huge sum of money. But before undertaking this mission and receiving the money, the killer must help his client in three tasks that may risk everything.

A pawn shop proprietor buys used goods from desperate locals – as much to play perverse power games as for his own livelihood, but when the perfect rump and a backed-up toilet enter his life, he loses all control.

Miguel is a federal agent, highly trained and skilled in weapons. After experiencing trauma in his personal life, he sets out on a journey of revenge, assuming the identity of a masked vigilante. The Awakener decides to do justice with his own hands by exterminating corrupt politicians.

The film is based on lyrics from the very famous Brazilian samba composer Adoniran Barbosa, following the aesthetics of his time. Notable facts and characters of his songs takes us through the story, a portrait of São Paulo city in the 50's, a place full of music, love stories and gentrification (poor people getting evicted from their places in order to build great buildings), subjects often explored in Adoniran's work, always with a good touch of humor. This way he became the 'poor people poet'.