Claudio Lacroics, a French-born prosecutor, is in Sicily to fight the Mafia. Every day he clashes with the beliefs of a community where the only rules are prejudice and silence. In addition, Claudio has married Lucienne and welcomes his sister Roberta into his home; she returns only to ask for money with her lover Richard.

When Domenico first meets Filomena in Naples during World War II, he is instantly smitten. Flash forward to the postwar years, and the two meet again, sparking a passionate affair that spans two decades. But when Filomena — who has now become Domenico's kept woman and has secretly borne his children — learns that her lover is planning to wed another, she will stop at nothing to hook him into marrying her instead.

Three tales of very different women using their sexuality as a means to getting what they want.