Catania, 1960s. At the beach resort run by the charming Rozzo Finocchiaro, Stefano, a blind elderly man, observes and comments with ironic and acerbic commentary on the behavior of the people who frequent the beach and whose lives are intertwined. Passing under his scrutiny are the industrialist Alfredo Condorelli—married to the wealthy Maria Rita and engaged in a clandestine affair with his secretary Rosalba—the stifling Rosa—wife of the former playboy Alfredo—the four bigwigs Roberto, Michele, Armando, and Rocco; the musician Gregorio Alacci; the fallen boss Jano Suarez; the Lanzafame family; and Peppino Di Paternò—a fifty-year-old married to the statuesque Ulla.