This film is very much a docudrama which portrays the difficulties of Italian life circa 1963 due to the absence of a divorce law. Five scenarios with different actors portray realistic situations where divorce is clearly warranted but, because marriage was strictly in the purview of the Catholic Church at that time, which strictly forbade divorce, these people are shown to suffer the consequences in their daily lives. Italy got its first civilian divorce law in 1970.

In 1925, young Florentine typographer Mario moves to via del Corno to be near his girlfriend Bianca. Here befriends Maciste, his landlord, and Ugo, anti-fascists both of them. After a resident is beaten by the fascists, Mario meets the wife Milena at the hospital, falling in love with her and leaving Bianca. Maciste is killed, again by fascists, while Ugo is wounded and he seeks shelter in a nearby house. Here he falls in love with Gesuina and the two marry. Milena's husband dies, but she and Mario part ways. Later, Mario is arrested by the police.

Sadistic no-count killer Nanni Vitali and three other equally brutish hoodlums escape from prison. The foul foursome embark on a savage rape, murder, and robbery spree. Vitali even abducts and defiles frightened hapless lass Giuliana Caroli. Meanwhile, rugged police inspector Giulio Santini is determined to bag the despicable Vitali.

A lonely school teacher is kidnapped by the mob to carry out an important hit.

Five short stories with contemporary settings. In New York, people are indifferent to derelicts sleeping on sidewalks, to a woman's assault in front of an apartment building, and to a couple injured in a car crash. A man, stripped of his identity, dies in bed with actors expressing his agony. A cheerful, innocent young man walking a city street in a time of war pays a price for this innocence. A couple talks about cinema while it watches another couple talk of love and truth on the eve of one character's return to Cuba. Striking students take over a university classroom; an argument follows about revolution or incremental change.

Four stories with teenagers as the protagonists: Young Blood - The Sardinian Drummer - The Little Look-out - The Nurse of the Father (Sangue romagnolo - Il tamburino sardo - La piccola vedetta lombarda - L'infermiere di Tata)

An old professor rents a mysterious old villa, and finds a tape recorded by a previous occupant, detailing her debauched lifestyle and the events leading to her murder.

Luciano Bianchi lives with his wife and son in the small town of Guastalla. As an intellectual and bibliophile, he works as head of cultural initiatives at a mining plant.

An anthology film / black comedy about three ordinary men who become involved in violent crimes.

Young Gigi is summering with uncle Amedeo and his wife Betsy attempting to learn English. His cousin Gemma, however, despite being betrothed before teases him and then she becomes his lover. Now Gigi manages to seduce Betsy for a night of passion.

While searching for their estranged mother, two beautiful sisters, Dagmar and Ursula, arrive at a luxurious seaside hotel. At the same time, a mysterious killer starts murdering promiscuous women in the area.

In the figure of Ettore Zambrini, a small industrialist with a dream of opening a factory overlooking the Autostrada del Sole, Montaldo offers us an effective narrative transposition of the 'animal spirits' that governed the economic boom in Italy at the time. He is a character of contradictory humanity: capable of handling business, overdue bills, trade union relations, marital betrayal, but also the passion that binds him to his wife with equal unscrupulousness.

A World War II-era college student must journey to Africa both to find his missing archaeology professor and search for the treasured mines of Kilimanjaro. He is followed by natives as well as scheming Chinese and Nazis

A lesbian and vicious countess seduces the wife of an English writer in a creative crisis, during the couple's stay at her luxurious villa.

Desirée, a girl of Sweden, niece of a priest, came to Ancona. Uninhibited and a naturist, attracts the attention of boys and dislikes of local women.

The events in Naples of a few ‘figli della Madonna’ (Madonna’s sons), young people born between 1945 and 1946 from the relationship between the local women and Afro-American soldiers.