A doctor rescues a young woman who is about to throw herself into the river and takes her to the hospital. The woman learns of three very sad stories revolving around suicide.

Returning home after a night of love spent in a woodman's hut with Orsola, Pietro is arrested by the police for a crime he did not commit. His mother and youngest sister, Rosaria, go to Orsola begging her to provide Pietro with the alibi that will clear him. But Rocco, Orsola's brother, dreading a family scandal, constrains Orsola to silence. Condemned despite his innocence, Pietro escapes from prison, but the police track him down and kill him, and his mother, before the eyes of Rosaria. Years pass, and one day Rocco stumbles upon a half-frozen young woman lying in the snow. He takes her home and confides her to the care of Orsola. Later, yielding to the pleas of Orsola, Rocco and Rocco's son, Salvatore, the girl stays on in the house, and Salvatore falls in love with the beautiful stranger, who is careful to keep the family members from learning she is Rosaria, the grown up sister of Pietro seeking revenge for the deaths of her brother and mother.

Driven by the constant quarrels with his wife and humiliated by a rich Milanese industrialist after asking him for a job, an unemployed person decides to steal a car from a garage guarded by a friend.

In Naples, a voice from the skies announces one morning that the final judgment will be at 6 p.m. on that day. What follows is a series of vignettes depicting various people's reactions (or lack thereof) to the announcement.

A professor was appointed member of the jury of a beauty contest and falls for a beautiful contestant. In order to get the girl he must win the "Tour of Italy", so professor sells his soul to the devil to get the winning and the girl.

Antonio La Quaglia becomes the railroader in Piovarolo during 1922 meanwhile the fascism is raising. Later he marries a jewish woman. He has career ambitions but can not reach them.

On his way to Africa, Don Pietro, a young missionary priest has his suitcase stolen in the station of Naples. While trying to retrieve his baggage he realizes how miserable the city of Naples is. Then he decides that his mission is there in Naples, He creates his 'The Boys' Town' a shelter for poor kids, aka the 'scugnizzi' (street urchins), with a view to putting them back on the right track. Some of the kids, though, do not play by the rules just using that 'home' as a convenient place for hiding the product of their thefts...

When Italy surrenders to the Allies, part of the Italian army is dispersed and soldiers begin to return to their homes.

Sweet-sour comedy on Italy's 1950s rage to get rich as fast as possible! The businessman wants to satisfy his wife's craving for luxury and a "respectable life" so he becomes heavily indebted. In desperation he agrees to sell a precious part of his body for a large sum of money. But just before the crucial operation he panics...

In the first Italian film to be shot in color, Totò portrays a musician named Antonio Scannagatti who strongly hopes to sell his composition, "Epopea italiana", to Tiscordi, who is one of the most important Italian impresarios.