Set between the late 1970s and 1980s in Rio de Janeiro, the series traces the origins of organized crime and drug faction wars within the prison system and the favelas (specifically Parada de Lucas and Vigário Geral). A prison soccer match between rival inmate factions triggers an escalating feud that spills into the streets, reshaping the power dynamics, rivalries, and violent criminal factions of Rio over a twenty-year period.