In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV," Mike Waters is a hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. Scott Favor is the rebellious son of a mayor. Together, the two travel from Portland, Oregon to Idaho and finally to the coast of Italy in a quest to find Mike's estranged mother. Along the way they turn tricks for money and drugs, eventually attracting the attention of a wealthy benefactor and sexual deviant.

Imma falls in love with a fireman.

During the invasion of Ethiopia in 1936, a wounded Italian soldier ends up stranded in the desert after a truck wreck. He makes his way to the nearest army hospital, losing his sanity in the process.

In the late 1980s, Amedeo Letizia, a young 20 something Italian, leaves his hometown of Casal di Principe to pursue a career in acting in Rome. While he's making his debut, his younger brother Paolo is kidnapped by armed men. Amedeo comes back, this return being an infernal descent into his past and his region's contradictions.

Davis meets Zina in a car wreck. Their immediate attraction for one another is put into jeopardy when they learn each is competing for the same writing job.

Guido Brenta is in the navy during a war but returns home eager to resume his former life filled with romantic entanglements. However, he encounters disappointment as his father's financial struggles worsen. His sister, Rosy, is involved with wealthy Vieri Levrieri, and as Guido navigates complex family relationships and a tumultuous friend group, he falls in love with Eugenia, Vieri's sister. The friendships dissolve under pressure, leading to unexpected outcomes.