In Italy, the gambler and professor of poetry Daniele Dominici arrives in the seaside town of Rimini and is hired to teach for four months in high school replacing another teacher. His relationship with his mate Monica is in crisis and he spends most of the time with his new acquaintances and gamblers Giorgio Mosca, Marcello and Gerardo Pavani. In classroom, he meets nineteen year old student Vanina Abati, who is Gerardo's girlfriend, and they fall in love with each other. Their relationship leads to a tragic end.