Antonio Barbacane is sent by his wealthy grandfather to Rome to influence corrupt politicians to shift the route of a motorway into their small provincial town, and thus increase the land's value. Instead of accomplishing his mission, he indulges in the pleasures of the city. His cousin Peppino, the town's municipal secretary, a moralist and an upright man to the point of ordering the removal of La dolce vita's film posters, is sent there to check on Antonio.
