Italy, 1916. Oreste Jacovacci and Giovanni Busacca are called, as all the Italian youths, to serve the army in the WWI. They both try in every way to avoid serving the army.

A woman feeds her husband with scraps and gives the best food to her lover, whom she hides in the attic. The husband abandons her and goes and lives with a young girl who drags him into a sadomasochistic relationship.