Michiko Malandro breaks out of a high-security prison to see her long-lost love, Hiroshi. Elsewhere, Hiroshi's daughter, Hana Morenos, lives the life of Cinderella among her adoptive family, waiting for someone to come and take her away from them.

Michiko is summoned at gunpoint to see Rico, the local favela boss. Pepê Lima, a dancer at a nearby nightclub run by Rico, approaches Hatchin with information about Hiroshi. However, Pepê has an agenda of her own for meeting with Michiko and Hatchin.

Michiko visits her old friend Ivan to ask the whereabouts of a man named Satoshi, who might know where Hiroshi is. Thinking the task ahead to be dangerous, Michiko leaves Hatchin with Zelia Bastos at the orphanage where she grew up, for her safety.

Satoshi tracks down Manabe, a former captain in Monstro Preto, and takes him and his family hostage. He orders Shinsuke to send the battered Michiko to him on a train, and sets about to get back at Manabe for humiliating him many years before.

Michiko goes to pick up the fake I.D.s she had made, but finds that she is unable to pay for them. When Michiko fails to return, Hatchin goes out looking for her, and ends up being taken in by a kindly Chinese opera singer who offers to help find her.

In an attempt to locate Hiroshi, Satoshi coerces a local crime boss, Juninho, to search for him. However, Juninho is already out to get Hiroshi for some outstanding debts. Michiko continues to elude police, and ends up cornered at a traveling carnival.