The staff of a dubbing studio celebrates the announcement of a Brazilian dubbing of an acclaimed show called ''The Mary Shadow Show''. Mary Shadow is played by brazilian biggest rockstar, Rita Lee. To dub the main character, Dalila (Zezé Motta) indicates her neighbor Marialva (Marília Pêra), who adopts the name "Mary Mattos" as she dreams about becoming a Hollywood star. Marialva lives tormented by the death of her former boyfriend, and finds refuge on Wallace (José Wilker), a married man who promises he will abandon his family to live with her.