From Friday night 'til Sunday morning, the doors of a new world open inside a nightclub in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro. We watch the emotions and conflicts experienced by a series of characters, who find on the dance floor the ideal stage to represent the tragedy of their lives.
Toquinho is a young man living in Marechal Hermes, a poor neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, together with his widow mother and a younger sister. Although he is poor, he is also ambitious, and wants to change his life. He spends all his time on the beach, at Arpoador, Ipanema, where he dreams to become a famous surfer. Besides, he usually finds Patricia there, a rich and liberated young woman, whom he likes a lot. To impress Patricia and satisfy some of her wishes, he lets himself be seduced by André, a gay guy who, in return for his sexual favors, promises him a trip to Hawaii for a surf championship.
A common robber is turned into a killer when he discovers that his sister was sexually assaulted by a policeman. After his act of vengeance, the police force begins a man hunt which corners the man into the building of a district attorney of whom he takes hostage.