A quirky, but happily in love young Italian couple fall in with an older, but distinctly reserved Swedish couple whilst on vacation on islands off the coast of Southern Italy. Eventually the couples seem to warm to each other as the infectious youths bring the standoffish couple out of their shells. But there is a sinister reason for the Swedish couple's cold behavior and it may spell doom for them all.

When peasant girl Nives is deserted by smuggler Gino Lodi, she betrays him to the police. Police officer Enzo Cinti, who loves Nives, traces her to the Po River cane-fields, where she is working as a cutter to support herself and an infant son, and warns her that Gino has escaped from prison and is seeking revenge. She rejects his offer to protect her. Gino finds Nives, mourning the drowning death of their son. He surrenders himself to the police and then walks at Nives' side in the funeral procession.

An episodic film based on letters to agony columns, showing the effect of sex on the lives of women.