In the Rio de Janeiro Central Station, the infamous pickpocket Mão Leve meets Ernestina—a Northeastern girl looking for a job—with whom he falls in love. Willing to conquer her, the thief decides to abandon his life of crime, but soon finds out it won't be easy.
For a long time a couple exchanged love letters, he living in the Northeast and she in Rio de Janeiro. One day he goes to the wonderful city together with a colleague, but he soon faces a problem: since he has sent the girl a photo of someone else, he is afraid to approach and reveal who he really is. At the same time, the colleague has a falling out with a girl who defends rock 'n' roll tooth and nail.