Carpenter Arturo writes kids' stories in his spare time until a chance encounter propels him into literary stardom. At the peak of his success, he has a one-night stand with beautiful Matilde. Months after, when he retreats in the woods to work on new stories, Matilde shows up holding a baby in her arms...
The young Luca grew up with his uncle Augusto, owner of a shoe store. The latter, determined to "start" the clumsy nephew sexually, takes him to a brothel in Florence and throws him into the arms of the stupendous prostitute Nerina, of whom Luca falls hopelessly in love.