Enrico breaks up his marriage to Renata because he discovers that in the registry office she is already married to a certain Giulio, an inhabitant of a country town. The couple leaves in search of the mysterious Giulio who is about to marry Marcella, but her wedding also ends.
A decadent noblewoman, whose stranded husband has dilapidated their whole fortune on gambling, tries to keep her daughter in school while hiding their state of poverty from her, by leading a double life as an exotic dancer.