In 1807, in an unprecedented action, D. João - heir to the Portuguese crown - decides to get away to Brazil with his entire court in an attempt to escape Napoleon's troops. Arrebita - a young servant - clandestinely embarks on this transatlantic adventure towards the tropics and gets involved in the historical events that transform Rio de Janeiro into the capital of the Portuguese Empire and culminate in the process of Brazilian independence and the subsequent return of D. Pedro to Portugal.