A washed-up filmmaker gets a second chance at stardom when he discovers stunning peasant Maria Vargas dancing in a Madrid nightclub. Goaded by his producer, the director convinces Maria to screen test for, and then star in, his next big picture. But as the producer's possessive nature and the realities of stardom weigh on Maria, she seeks a genuine lover with whom she can escape.

A wealthy, self-absorbed Rome socialite is racked by guilt over the death of her young son. As a way of dealing with her grief and finding meaning in her life, she decides to devote her time and money to the city’s poor and sick. Her newfound, single-minded activism leads to conflicts with her husband and questions about her sanity.

Aging small-time conman Augusto works with two younger men: Roberto, who desires to become the Italian Johnny Ray, and Carlo, nicknamed Picasso. Through a series of mishaps and personal entanglements, things go badly for Augusto.

A middle-aged man meets a young woman who is waiting on a canal bridge for her lover's return.

Fernand Sarrazin, who runs a nougat factory to perfection, is a happy bachelor, notwithstanding the acrimonious presence of his sister-in-law Julie. Love enters his life in the form of a young orphan, Cécilia, whom he saves from drowning, falls in love with and marries. The treacherous Julie uses a young pianist to lead Cecilia astray. She returns, however, repentant, after a short stay in Paris. Good Fernand forgives her, but when he learns of his sister-in-law's actions, he chases her out of his house.

The lives and loves of five Italian telephone operators. One is betrayed by her husband, one helps a student who wants to take his life, one changes her boyfriend every other day, one is a single mother and the last one tries to inflame a recent-widower accountant.

An undercover policeman infiltrates a criminal gang.

An aspiring singer is torn between the love for a devious ex-flame, the affection of a simple girl and the loyalty to his paralyzed best friend.

In 1789, French poet André Chénier struck up a romance with a young aristocrat.