Betrayed wife of a powerful and corrupt Senator, turns him in, and his fraud schemes and lies are exposed. After one of his lovers commits suicide, he has his illegitimate son kidnapped and taken to a decadent seaside resort in the country's extreme southern coast. The Senator chooses another former lover to take care of his son, and the two of them become involved beyond that of a mother son relationship.

The documentary “Pagliacci” celebrates – in a poetic way – what it means to be a clown. The film addresses philosophical and symbolic questions about man’s need to laugh at himself. In a sensorial and emotional mix, the film starts from what is most human and true: laughter.