An elderly man and his dog struggle to survive on his government pension in Rome.

In post-war Italy, a working-class man's bicycle is stolen, endangering his efforts to find work. He and his son set out to find it.

After a train is robbed of its payroll, an insurance agent and a card-shark team-up to retrieve the loot from the bandits who guard it at a secret location near the Mexican border.

A young policewoman slowly goes insane while tracking down an elusive serial rapist/killer through Italy when she herself becomes a victim of the brutal man's obsession.

A young country girl comes to town and works in a brothel in order to help her fiance get the money to start his own business. "Paprika" is the name given to her by the madam.