In Araponga, Carnival isn’t just a celebration: it’s the law. All year round, the island lives to the sound of music, costumes, and parades. But Cora, a seven-year-old girl who recently lost her mother, can no longer find any joy in the festivities.

Everything changes when her father, King Momo, gives her the old costume workshop that once belonged to her mother. There, Cora discovers old films documenting a celebration unknown to the island’s residents: Christmas. Fascinated by the idea of a different kind of festival, she decides to recreate it with her friends, on the very same day as Araponga’s biggest Carnival parade.

What begins as a children’s game soon threatens the island’s beloved tradition. But Cora is determined to discover what Christmas could look like on her own terms, on an island where even Santa Claus might have to join the bloco.