Two 20th-century friends accidentally stumble into the year 1492, where they meet a charming teen and try to alter history.
When Gelsomina, a naïve young woman, is purchased from her impoverished mother by brutish circus strongman Zampanò to be his wife and partner, she loyally endures her husband's coldness and abuse as they travel the Italian countryside performing together. Soon Zampanò must deal with his jealousy and conflicted feelings about Gelsomina when she finds a kindred spirit in Il Matto, the carefree circus fool, and contemplates leaving Zampanò.
Six vignettes explore love and desire in Rome, from prostitution and heartache to unwed motherhood and the male gaze.
