The vicissitudes of Walter – a dissatisfied and disenchanted 20-year-old on-and-off philosophy student without a job, a girlfriend or any real beliefs – who reluctantly returns to his native Turin to live with his irascible blue-collar father and his mother, almost mute due to a severe nervous breakdown.
A girl with a beautiful voice lives in a little village and dreams of becoming a successful singer. She is discovered by the music maestro Signoretti who tries to have her take part in the music festival of Sanremo, Italy's most famous singing competition.
Federico, his girlfriend Laura and her cousin, Caterina, are three young people full of hope, united by a great friendship that seems indissoluble. The three work in a department store but, when Caterina decides to attempt a musical career, given her vocal skills, everything changes. Caterina becomes a successful singer and Federico falls in love with her. Caterina, who however does not want to make her cousin Laura suffer, pretends not to reciprocate the young man by making him put his head in order. Meanwhile, the plots of various secondary characters evolve, in particular the fresh marriage between the security guard Antonio and the secretary of the department stores Adelina.
