Four short films by four different directors dealing with the principles of modern life. "Illibatezza" (Rossellini): The hostess Anna Maria, to dissuade an aggressive suitor who prefers maternal tendencies, assumes an unscrupulous attitude, obeying the suggestions of her distant boyfriend. "The New World" (Godard): The deflagration of an atomic bomb causes strange effects on the inhabitants of a city. "La ricotta" (Pasolini): During the filming of a film about a religious subject, the extra Stracci dies hanging on the cross due to an indigestion of ricotta. "Il pollo spante" (Gregoretti): While an expert illustrates to a board of merchants the most modern techniques to increase sales through the discovery of the secret self of the average consumer, the human story of a bourgeois who, following these suggestions, focuses on the purchase of a plot of land in the countryside.

Rosanna Schiaffino
as Anna Maria (segment "Illibatezza")

Bruce Balaban
as Joe (segment "Illibatezza")

Maria Pia Schiaffino
as Air Hostess (segment "Illibatezza")

Jean-Marc Bory
as Husband (segment "Il nuovo mondo")

Alexandra Stewart
as Alexandra (segment "Il nuovo mondo")

Orson Welles
as The 'Director' (segment "La ricotta")

Mario Cipriani
as Stracci (segment "La ricotta")

Laura Betti
as Sonia, the 'Diva' (segment "La ricotta")

Edmonda Aldini
as Another Diva (segment "La ricotta")

Ettore Garofolo
as Ettore, the Angel (segment "La ricotta")