The film begins on New Year’s Eve 2001 when Angelica attempts suicide by somewhat theatrically cutting her wrists in the bath. Over the weeks that follow we learn all about the complexities of her life and her three best friends, the quartet of the title.

Dr. Lele Martini and his family — his children Maria, Ciccio and Anna, and his father Libero — seek to adjust to a new life in the outskirts of Rome.