To escape past traumas, a truck driver João decides to leave his hometown behind and travel cross the country. Alone and lonely he drives all over Brazil until João discovers hiding in his truck a motherless boy looking for his father. Reluctantly, João agrees to take the boy to the nearest town and, during the trip, he finally finds the courage to face his past.

Russas, a small town in northeastern Brazil, is the home of Pacarrete, a grumpy retired dance teacher who dreams of getting a big shot and starring at a dance spectacle for the whole town to see. She's close to fulfilling that dream, but not without overcoming a few impediments along the way.