Still active in their eighties with such well-received films as CAESAR MUST DIE, the Taviani brothers first made an international splash with this striking allegorical drama. Survivors of a disastrous volcanic eruption on one remote island flee to a neighboring isle where their forced cohabitation with the more peaceable local residents leads to militaristic aggression, violence, kidnapping and other abuses. Think of a LORD OF THE FLIES for grown-ups as directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini and you've got the general idea. This visually beautiful portrait of ugly societal behavior is told in a series of cryptic blackouts punctuated by shocking outbursts of cruelty. Featuring more robust masculinity than Italian cinema had seen since the heyday of Hercules films a few years earlier, it features a cast of mixed professionals and nonprofessional actors led by Gian Maria Volonte as a village leader. - Dennis Harvey

　　玛格丽特（弗朗西斯卡·内莉 Francesca Neri 饰）是全米兰最美丽的女人，普里莫利伯爵一直包养着玛格丽特，支付她的所有生活开销，并且深深的为她的外表所着迷。一次偶然中，玛格丽特邂逅了名为阿尔玛的男青年，看到玛格丽特第一眼时，阿尔玛就已经深深的坠入了情网之中，然而， 玛格丽特碍于自己的身份无法同阿尔玛心意相通，可实际上，她也对这段正常的感情有着无限的期待。

　　终于，玛格丽特和阿尔玛捅破了两人之间的窗户纸走到了一起，这令普里莫利伯爵非常的生气。玛格丽特离开了伯爵，和阿尔玛一起隐居乡间，但因为普里莫利伯爵拒绝再对玛格丽特进行经济支援，两人的生活很快就陷入了困顿之中。