Antonio (Enrico Salimbeni) may not have been the most energetic waiter in the most popular restaurant in this unfashionable Adriatic tourist town, but that is no reason for his boss not to pay him. When he takes the wages that he is owed out of the till, not only does the owner throw him out, but he has him beaten up, to boot. Enzo (Mario Adorf), the owner of a restaurant so far off the beaten track it is widely known as Abissinia rather than being called by its true name, takes him in. The leisurely pace of everything that is done at the restaurant leaves Antonio with plenty of time to put together the story of its owner and the love of his life, and how he, too, fell from culinary glory to his present obscurity.

When three prisoners of war escape from a prison camp in Yugoslavia they encounter partisans, who they agree to help fight in return for a safe passage to freedom. Their task is to blow up a strategic bridge which is heavily defended by German troops. Follow the action, frought with danger as our heroes complete their mission to destroy... the bridge to hell.

The story tells of the marital misadventures of Tiziana and Tonino, a couple now in crisis whose tired ménage explodes when the woman receives a phone call from an ex, who proposes to meet again at the "Roxy Bar". Tiziana decides to present herself with a new look and a showy red wig, to the point that when she unexpectedly runs into her husband, the latter does not recognize her and begins to court her.

Fifteen-year-old Sabrina has lived with her father since he split with her mother. As the film unfolds it gradually becomes clear that Sabrina is a victim of incest.

Sicilia, a chauffeur for a prominent figure in mafia circles, finds himself in the midst of a mafia war in which his boss and other friends are killed. He tries to understand who is behind all these crimes, risking his own life to discover the perpetrator of all these deaths.

Gaetano works in the historic center of Rome. During the summer months he keeps his nephew Aurelio, a nine-year-old, as a helper.

In a school where the meeting seems more complete sampling of teachers and professors stupid airhead, there is the class of Peter, repeating in life, which is the "grandfather" to the far more young companions concerning jokes and vulgarity. Even outside the school walls, in the family or in the streets of the village where he lives, Peter is not far behind and his antics continue to freewheel.