Best friends Deco (Lázaro Ramos) and Naldinho (Wagner Moura) co-own a cargo boat in Brazil's Salvador de Bahia. They give a ride to a sultry prostitute named Karinna (Alice Braga), and soon both men fall prey to her considerable sexual charms, pushing the bonds of their friendship to the limit.

The movie tells the story of Laerte (Lázaro Ramos), a talented violinist who after failing to be admitted into the OSESP Orchestra is forced to give music classes to teenagers in a public school at Heliopolis. His path is full of difficulties, but the transforming power of music and the friendship arising between the teacher and the students open the door into a new world

Friends of the recently deceased Quincas take their pal's body on one last tour of his favorite spots in Brazil's Bahia.