Francesco, Sergio, and Antonio, three young men in a small, poverty-stricken village, lead uneventful lives. As all three are unemployed, they pass time roaming the streets and chasing girls. One day, Antonio's aunt asks him to stay with her and his cousins in Rome. He accepts and enrolls at a university, leaving his two friends behind to envy him for his new upscale lifestyle. But eventually Antonio returns, initially just for a day. Though he boasts about his life, he never returns to Rome and instead opts for his friends and the place he grew up, despite all its shortcomings.

Vivacious co-ed Rita falls in love with her music teacher, who leads a double life: bespectacled professor by day, rock star by night.

Multiple stories intersect in this satirical look at misogyny, male promiscuity and oppressive behaviour: a wealthy man discovers his wife suffers from kleptomania and decides to help her indulge her vice; a retired circus performer returns to knife-throwing with his once-lovely assistant, even though his vision has deteriorated; and a lecherous college professor attempts to sleep with his attractive female students.