Apolônio Brasil was a cult pianist who used to play in nightclubs in Rio de Janeiro, in the 1950s and 1960s. Quite a character, Apolônio was loved by women, idolized by his audience and friends, besides being extremely high-spirited and charming. For all that, his brain is removed after his death and becomes the center of a dispute among an American scientist, Dr. Bóris, who wants to study it, his friends and his son Paluca. The film is an attempt to pay homage to the nightlife in Rio de Janeiro of the 50s, and to the "chanchada" a genre of musical-comedy typically Brazilian.