Francesco Cesena, a middle-aged policeman, while carrying out a routine operation, is involved in a firefight in which his colleague loses his life. Cesena, wounded, shoots and kills the convict and his wife. About a year later two young men, Fabrizio and Simonetta, are arrested for stealing a car. Cesena and his assistant Cane, the same age as the two boys, have the task of interrogating them. Partly out of boredom at the late hour, partly out of curiosity, Cesena makes the two believe they know far more serious things about them than car theft.

Nina, daughter of a Greek woman who left Egypt in 1956, goes for the first time to Alexandria, discovers the city and the longing of her mother to tell her an old love story that she had years ago with a French. but the mother doesn't tell her the truth, who knows why.

An aspiring young writer tracks a literary titan suffering from writers block to his refuge in rural Italy and learns about life and love from the irascible genius and his daughters.

1600年，人类发明照相机的很多年以前，一位名叫吉罗拉莫的科学家就在为记录图像的方法着迷。他发现，如果将刚刚被杀死的人的眼球取下，就可以在纸上得到这个人临死前视网膜上留下的图像，他把这项“技术”称为“死亡照相术”。几百年后，一所电影学院的年轻学生偶然发现了他留下来的古老的“照相机”……