Writer Manuel Puig fled his native Argentina after being persecuted for his homosexuality. The biopic explores Puig's experiences in his adopted city of Rio de Janeiro, where he was finally able to express his sexuality openly. Brazil, though under a military dictatorship during this period, did not consider Puig, a foreign, famous gay author, to be a threat. For Puig, the city, with its beaches, discos and opportunities for casual sexual liaisons provided a space of social and, at first at least, considerable aesthetic liberation.