Rome is on the thresh-hold of the Holy year 1925, the city wishes to present itself as 'spotless' to the outside world. The appearance of a child's corpse puts an end to these aspirations. The police arrest a small time crook who has committed a robbery but has nothing to do with the murder of the child.

A true story taken from the archives of the archdiocese of Milan. Based on the life of Marianna De Leyva, better known as "The Nun of Monza," a 17th century nun accused of and tried by the church for breaking celibacy and plotting murder.

Guests of the wealthy young Don Alberto De Simone, the ramshackle troupe of actors known as "L'eclettica," led by Gennaro De Sia, rehearse a new play in an attempt to redeem themselves after the fiascos of their previous performances. The "rehearsals" are interrupted by the arrival of Salvatore, brother of Viola, an actress who is expecting Gennaro's child and who wants to force the man to act like a gentleman and marry her.

Augusto Valle is a successful young industrialist who weds Palmira, the girl working in his factory, and the two have a child despite the infant's uncertain legitimacy. Scheming to control her husband's fortune, Palmira has affairs with both the mayor and the judge to have Augusto committed to a mental institution. While there, he falls in love with Serafina Vitali, a young woman who was also put away.

During a wave of political violence in Italy, a policeman who's already survived an assassination is assigned to act as a bodyguard to a morally upright judge. He feels increasingly fearful as the links of the upper echelons of police and government to the violence become clear.

A low rank journalist at Tribuna Sera newspaper receives a letter one day. His correspondence contains a serial killer's letters, which he exploits.

Donna Beatrice is determined to expose her husband's alleged affair with the beautiful wife of the scribe Ciampa. The woman, heedless of her own family peace and the reputation of the scribe, who tries in vain to stop her, carries out a plan that does not confirm the adultery but, on the contrary, causes a huge scandal. Ciampa finds himself "forced," finding no other solution, to kill the two alleged lovers, driven by Beatrice's "madness." It is precisely from this "madness," however, that Ciampa will find a way to free himself from dishonor and a crime committed lightly.

Oreste Campese is the leader of a traveling troupe of actors—made up of his family—who find themselves in the middle of winter in an unspecified town in central Italy. During the prologue, Campese recounts the events leading up to the present: the troupe has suffered the misfortune of losing their "shed," a mobile theater structure that was destroyed by an accidental fire. The flames spared only the boxes of props and costumes, which were opportunely saved.

Sofia, Don Saverio's sister, confesses to her brother that she was the victim of a fateful event: while she accompanied her brother to Rome, while he was resting at a hotel, a terrible storm broke out during the night, accompanied by thunder and lightning. Frightened, she left her room to seek refuge in her brother's, when, after the lights went out, she accidentally entered a stranger's room in the darkness and fainted from fear of a violent clap of thunder. The unknown individual seized the opportunity and took advantage of her. From that turbulent encounter, Don Felice Sciosciammocca was born, Sofia's illegitimate son, now engaged to Marietta, Don Saverio's daughter.