A number of different segments taken from 19th century Italian stories.

Michele, a young mechanic, is in love with Angela Antonia, beautiful but capricious: the girl's father, once he learns of the relationship, has him fired from the place where he works and is forced to move to Naples. He asks for hospitality from his aunt Carmela, concierge in a building, but she has no vacancies and arranges him as Donna Tecla, the owner of a pension who, having three young daughters eager to get married, hopes to arrange at least one. But the three girls are not the best of beauty and Michele, gifted with a beautiful voice, agrees to sing in a club on behalf of an impresario who becomes his friend.

Nine episodes about life in Italy in the period just before its economic boom.

Anthology of tragic love. A noblewoman falls for a commoner. A doctor keeps quiet about his patients' infidelities. Expectant father is sent to fight in WWI. A 1920s fascist enjoys Rome's nightlife. WWII airman falls for a girl in Naples.

A bankrupt aristocrat tries to keep up appearances while his situation worsens. To top it off the life savings given to him by a beggar to invest has been mistakenly claimed by the aristocrat's altruist society for their annual Feast of the Poor.

Cerasella escapes just before her marriage with Alfredo and meets Bruno, the son of a wealthy industrialist.