If you see yourself as a poet and want to engage with the world to provide material for your work, what do you do? For Kate Lawrence in 1968, the answer turns out to be, go to Brazil. Her Brazilian former lover has filled her head with a vision of a country that respects its poets and is poised between Third World poverty and modern technology. Shortly after her arrival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's military dictatorship is caught off guard as leftists take to the streets to oppose the generals' rule. During this harrowing period, as Kate moves through street riots and among hippies, musicians, millionaires, student protestors and journalists, she encounters people full of spontaneous joy and an inventive spirit. Kate falls in love both with the city of Rio and with a man whose challenges, teachings and example make her question her understanding of herself.