Security guard Guido attempts a robbery to solve his financial problems, but he's double-crossed by Antonella, the younger showgirl he left his wife for, who runs off with the money while he gets arrested. In prison, Guido is forcefully involved in the escape plans of two lifers, an old Moroccan and a Turkish gangster. Once free, he sets out to find Antonella, who has since become a TV reporter, but things get complicated...

Two deadbeat friends see the opportunity of turning their fortune around after they come into possession of a precious stolen relic, the tongue of St. Anthony of Padua.

At 19, David has his diploma (the first in his family), a job at a car wash, and little else. His family is broke and argues constantly. So, unannounced, David leaves Turin for his uncle's farm in Polesine. Here he learns many life lessons over the course of a summer while hanging out with Bosnian drug dealer Alem and Patrizia, an older woman who's an addict.

Czech immigrant Vesna arrives in Italy and is forced into casual prostitution by poverty. The encounter with a kind construction worker could help change her situation.