The film uses delicacy and humor to describe the authoritarian functioning of a typically Brazilian 1950 family in Rio de Janeiro. The family is headed by a matriarch anxiously waiting for the night to hear Carlos Lacerda. The intense emotional plot highlights the absurdity of the characters' behavior.

Fernanda Montenegro
as Dona Mocinha

Raul Guaraná
as Rodriguinho

Priscilla Rozenbaum
as Conceição

Paulo Betti
as Henrique

Ricardo Kosovski
as Orlando

Nanda Costa
as Iracema

Maria Flor
as Adalgisa

Lucca Valor
as Ricardinho

Fernando Gomes
as Manoel

José Roberto Oliveira
as Pinheiro