Marcello Rubini, a frustrated 'serious' writer, does tabloid journalism to make ends meet. He spends every evening in Via Veneto awaiting the next scandal, party invitation, or sexual proposition. From an enigmatic woman named Maddalena, to wealthy intellectual Steiner's penthouse, to a famous actress named Sylvia, Marcello finds himself caught up in the carnival spectacle of nightlife and its fleeting happiness. The empty evenings seem to weave together, a decadent rhythm punctuated only by the regret of the following morning. Marcello is consumed by self-doubt and unable to enjoy the success he has, and so stumbles on, dreaming of attaining the elusive sweet life.