Down on his luck and recently divorced, Paulo has begun driving a cab around Rio, hoping he’ll make enough to send his ex money to support their ten-year-old son. He mostly works nights, so in addition to his encounters with a colourful variety of customers, colleagues, cops and others, he must cope with loneliness, fatigue and new faces in his life.
Reencountering the only man she ever loved is Gringa’s dream. She is the owner of a brothel in the interior of Brazil and even though she is blind and very sick, she insists on fulfilling her last wish: to go to Venice to apologize to the lover she abandoned decades ago. To take her to the Italian city, Tonho, Rita and the other girls who work for Gringa come up with a fantastic plan with help from a circus troupe.
The narrative unfolds in the 14th Century, when the European nations vie for supremacy within the Holy Roman Empire. The ambitious Austrian Empire, desiring more land, invades neighbouring Switzerland, a serene and pastoral nation. Protagonist William Tell, a formerly peaceful hunter, finds himself forced to take action as his family and homeland come under threat from the oppressive Austrian King and his ruthless warlords.