Young Prince Nechljudov is summoned as a judge in a murder trial. A rich merchant was found dead in the room of the inn where he was staying and the prostitute Maslova was accused of the crime. Nechljudov recognizes in the woman the maid of the aunts he had seduced and abandoned years before and tries to convince the authorities of her of his innocence but to no avail. Convinced that he is responsible for her moral fall, he follows her to Siberia where she must serve her sentence.

The film covers a hundred years in the lives of the Ricordi family, the Milan publishing house of the title, and the various composers and other historic personalities, whose careers intersected with the growth of the Ricordi house. It beautifully draws the parallel between the great music of the composers, the historic and social upheavals of their times, as well as the "smaller stories" of the successive generations of Ricordi.

Paul Dorgères, a wealthy industrialist, has been mysteriously murdered. The investigation is entrusted to the experienced Chief Inspector Bonnardel and his young rookie assistant, Inspector Richard. Suspicion turns to his mistress Catherine Villard, with whom he had just broken up on the night of the crime. She is soon arrested and charged. However, Inspector Richard discovers a button at the scene of the crime which could help him to trace the trail and confound the culprit(s).

The young mayor of Fontenac, Virgile, is much loved by his constituents who appreciate the improvements he has made in their peaceful village. This beautiful harmony is disturbed by the arrival of a young platinum pin-up, Maggy, alleged pupil of the lord, in truth his mistress.

Six episodes (adapted from as many short stories: Gozzano, D'Annunzio, Guido Rocca, Marino Moretti, Alba de Céspedes and Oreste Biancoli), six love stories set in different moments in italian recent history.

Intersecting lives on an island holiday: A lawyer anxious he caused a youth's death.An engineer suspecting his wife after being teased by pranksters.A young man falling for a nurse.A Frenchman seeing his wife wooed by a local.

A young girl comes to prison and experiences the entire prison subculture. The inmates she befriends vary from big tough dangerous dames to smaller submissive ladies who are totally lost in prison life.

The biographical story of Puccini spans his creative life from early student days to the height of success, including his early flop Madama Butterfly and his incomplete Turandot. Along the way he encounters three women who change his life, including an attractive, beautiful singer whom he drops for a small town girl, and a servant girl who commits suicide over him.

"Elena" cannot marry the man she loves, so enters into a loveless marriage with the wealthy "Andrea". Gradually she falls in love with him, but he never reciprocates. Things become further complicated when a letter from her first love "Carlo" is discovered.