Carpenter Arturo becomes a literary sensation when the children stories he writes in his spare time get published. However he comes to resent success and the spotlight that comes with it. One day he meets beautiful Matilde and falls in love with her, before finding out she's already married.

Four thirtysomething university students share a flat in Florence: Leonardo pursues beautiful Letizia, her brother Rocco works night shifts to pay for his rent, Bruno has to graduate to inherit his father-in-law's business (while cheating on his wife with her sister), and Pino dreams of becoming a stand-up comedian.