Our hero is the 18-year-old Alessio Mainardi, who receives a token red carnation from a girl named Giovanna and becomes a symbol of love, desire, and even has political overtones as a symbol of the struggle for political freedom in opposition to Fascism.

A small-time soccer referee gets the chance of a lifetime when he gets to referee a major-league game. He becomes a celebrity and suddenly finds himself having to choose between his future as a referee and the temptations that come his way, especially the women, now.

A decadent countess, middle-aged but still attractive, forces her young and timid daughter to marry a rich butcher. But the couple’s sexual relation is troubled, because the girl has her fair share of inhibitions. So she abandons her house and seeks refuge at her sister’s place. During her absence, her husband finds consolation in his mother in law’s arms.

Between a four-year gap in the murder of a young girl, the daughter of a well-known sculptor is discovered dead, and her parents conduct an investigation, only to discover they are in over their heads as the body-count keeps rising.

An estranged father and son on holiday bond over the beautiful foreign girl they find unconscious on the beach.

Artists and poets meet in a dreamlike space between walks and performances.