When an ex-policeman loses his wallet and I.D. while out on the streets of Copacabana, a whole set of brutal murders is set into play. His lover, Magali, is found dead in her bedroom the next day, but Vieira can't remember a thing about their last night together. Almost immediately, the young, beautiful Flor, Magali's closest friend and fellow hooker, latches on to the ageing, incapacitated Vieira - there is something amiss . . .

Police Inspector Espinosa, Vieira's friend and former colleague, is on the case. But when three more people are murdered, he realises he has been following all the wrong tracks. Someone from within the police force seems to be trying to implicate him along with his friend, ex-policeman, Vieira, and now those closest to them are under threat.

Espinosa, sensitive and reflective, is not the typical sleuth. Running beneath this compelling crime narrative is a story of loneliness - the street children of Rio struggle through their muted day-to-day existence and a lonely detective is on a personal quest for love and fulfilment.