A young woman meets a vital young man, but their love affair is doomed because of the man's materialistic nature.

In the suburbs of Rome, translator Vittoria breaks her engagement with her boyfriend, writer Riccardo, after a troubled night. Vittoria goes downtown to meet her mother, who is addicted to the stock market, and she meets materialist broker Piero on a day the stock-market crashes. Piero and Vittoria begin a monosyllabic relationship.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

After an all-night discussion of their relationship issues, Vittoria leaves the apartment of her long-time fiancé Riccardo, for good. She tells him she no longer loves him, but she can't really express her feelings, most specifically why, beyond that. Riccardo accepts the news, but doesn't like it. Vittoria visits her mother at the Stock Exchange, where she spends the better part of her time monitoring her stocks, and meets her stockbroker Piero, a driven young man. They are physically attracted to each other and Piero pursues her doggedly, especially after a disastrous day on the market. She is physically attracted to him also, though she pushes him away when he gets physically close. She eventually does let him into her life. During their burgeoning relationship, they tell each other one thing, however their actions may tell a slightly different story.—Huggo

On the verge of ending her tumultuous affair with her writer fiancé Riccardo, young literary translator Vittoria leaves his apartment in Rome after an endless dead-end conversation. Free from an uncomfortable and meaningless relationship, Vittoria soon finds herself falling for the charms of self-absorbed young stockbroker Piero, only to drift into yet another ill-fated romantic affair. In the end, against the backdrop of a nearly-deserted city, the two reluctant lovers will eventually face a bitter, unbearable reality: sometimes, human connection is simply impossible.—Nick Riganas