Two Americans in exile--Rosso and his son, Paul--have been carving out a living in Brazil running a nightclub-brothel, but they both harbor dreams of getting out of the business once and for all. One night, it seems their prayers are answered when a customer leaves behind a suitcase in the club that contains the means for Rosso and Paul to change their fates. Rosso will take his beautiful, young wife Angie and their 5 year-old son Lazare to start over in a new city, far away. Paul will escape mounting debt, an escalating coke habit, and finally be rid of his father (whom he despises and blames for all of his problems). It all depends on one person--a Nigerian immigrant named Wemba--who must make his way safely through the perilous, nocturnal gauntlet of Sao Paulo.