Luca (Carl Diemunch) was born into a Venice household of pro-fascists yet carries out clandestine night excursions to support the Italian partisans in the midst of WW II's heavy fighting. His mother and father are too busy with their own slightly decadent lives to pay much attention to Luca's whereabouts. Meanwhile, a beguiling English governess (Theresa Ann Savoy) has come to live in the house, and enters into an affair with the father. Once the war is over, she is joined in the house by a nurse (Stefania Sandrelli) who comes to take care of Luca during a period of illness. Both the governess and the nurse vie for Luca's amorous favors, although he shows no particular enthusiasm at first. When the governess dies and the nurse is sent packing, Luca wakes up from his indifference and decides to take some action after all.