The Mirgas are a Roma family whose patriarch, Lutvija Belmondo Mirga, has decided to establish his own village. He names it Shanghai. Lutvija Belmondo earns his living as a smuggler. His power and influence spread and eventually include the local police and politicians. He has become untouchable. But now that Yugoslavia has begun to disintegrate, the smuggling of goods is being replaced by the smuggling of arms. This traffic is more lucrative but it is also more dangerous.