A pretty woman approaching middle age rents out rooms in a small Italian town. An aging sailor and a handsome younger man are amongst the lodgers.

During the first Napoleonic expedition into Italy, Thibaud is seriously injured before being caught up in a mystery involving his wife, her rightful inheritance and his own daughter's happiness.

A young woman, her sister-in-law and her ten year old daughter are violently traumatised by invading Austrian soldiers. Later, in Verona, both woman discover they are pregnant. After a suicide attempt, one has an abortion the other keeps her child - and both faces struggles with friends and family as they return to their homes.

The kindly "Don Luigi" and his pernickety sister "Angelica" welcome a variety of needy folks to their rectory.

Toto (Aldo Fabrizi), a Roman coachman with an old fashioned horse-drawn carriage who objects to the competition from motorised taxis, doesn't want his daughter Nannarella to go out with Roberto, a young taxi driver. But it is Roberto who helps him when he gets into trouble with a former client, Mary Dunchetti (Anna Magnani), an arrogant singer.

A teenager escapes from a reformatory and is accused of theft.

Policarpo De Tappetti is a calligrapher who works under the orders of Don César Pancarano de Rondò. For many years, Policarpo has been seeking a promotion and a raise that never comes, and, it seems, will never come. One day, Jerónimo, the son of Don César, meets Celeste, the daughter of Policarpo, and falls in love with her. Policarpo sees in that relationship the solution to his aspirations at work, and does everything in his power to make this relationship fruitful. Don César, who presumes to be a count, sees with very bad eyes that his son meets a girl from such a different social position, and does just the opposite. But the efforts made by both parties will be of no use, since Celeste has fallen in love with Mario Marquetti, a "specialized mechanic" (typist) who is giving private lessons in the offices of the businessman Franquinet .

This is the (funny) story of four agents of Roma traffic police in the '50s. Their life are crossed in affairs that often retire from mere job relationships. 'Guardia scelta' (special agent) Giuseppe tries to be a composer, he wants to write the anthem for the roman traffic police. 'Guardia'(agent) Alberto Randolfi has a too strong inclination to fine everyone and is dreaming about learning French. 'Brigadiere' (sergeant) Pietro Spaziali is busy looking at his little son Tonino and daughter Maria who is going to marry a boxer. The 'Maresciallo' (Marshal) tries to manage and solve all the troubles they often do.

Lina, a young woman now tired of the constant betrayals from her husband, decides to cheat on him with a mutual friend, Piero.