A movie about a Brazilian entrepreneur who rivalled American's richest man at his time, well-known Rockfeller. Irineu Evangelista de Souza in 1867 had $155.000 contos de reis, meanwhile the Brazilian Governement annual budget was 97.000 contos de reis. The movie shows his life from poverty to riches and back to poverty again, as is common in Brazil, rich people die poor.
The Spanish Infanta Carlota Joaquina is promised to D. João VI at the age of 10. Forced to leave for Portugal, Carlota suffers a great disappointment when she meets her promised prince. With the death of D. José, Carlota Joaquina and D. João VI inherit the Portuguese crown. However, frightened by the French Revolution and the approach of Napoleon's army, they decide to flee to their colony: Brazil.
Police investigator Galvão is pursuing two trails, one professional and one personal. While he looks for a serial killer, he also searches for his estranged daughter, Sandra, whom he kicked out of the house. Lives intersect when the serial killer, Toninho, befriends Sandra, now an exotic dancer and prostitute living and working in the seamy underside of late 1970s Rio.