For the 17-year-old Mariza, there is no other house than the train station in Civitavecchia. Here, an orphaned girl lives early after the death of her father, a railwayman; here she earns additionally at the station buffet, selling ice cream to passengers of passing trains. Beautiful and brisk, she was accustomed to the admiration of others and perfectly mastered the art of coquetry, but Marise’s heart remains calm until the young sailor Angelo, who is in a hurry on her first voyage, leaves the train on the platform on a sunny Sunday morning.

A prostitute goes on vacation to a beach resort with her young daughter (who's being schooled by nuns). Everything is cheerful and pleasant at the seashore; the customers at the hotel think she's a poor widow - she always wears black - and treat her like a lady. But when one of her former clients arrives, her carefree days on the beach are numbered.