 On New Year s Eve, an insecure, struggling actress (Anna Magnani) has nothing to do. When a colleague invites her to a New Year s party, she jumps at the opportunity. Accidentally she runs into an old acting acquaintance (Toto), who is helping a professional pickpocket (Ben Gazzara) steal from people during the hustle-bustle of New Year s Eve festivities. During the course of the evening, they have numerous crazy, humorous adventures all over Rome at different parties, restaurants, and even the Trevi fountain. Magnani s character (Tortorella) falls for Gazzara s character (Lello) without knowing what he s up to, while Toto tries to placate them both.