Alice's life has been filled both with great joy and bitter disappointment. She has persevered because of love. The love she shares with one man, a man that has made it all worthwhile, until the unthinkable happens. Completely shattered, Alice embarks on a journey to find herself, taking us from the depths of despair to the wonders of the world, reclaiming her life and rediscovering her soul.

Cabiria is a wide-eyed waif, a streetwalker living in a poor section of Rome where she owns her little house, has a bank account, and dreams of a miracle. We follow her nights (and days): a boyfriend steals 40,000 lire from her and nearly drowns her, a movie star on the Via Veneto takes her home with him, at a local shrine she seeks the Madonna's intercession, then she meets an accountant who's seen her, hypnotized on a vaudeville stage, acting out her heart's longings. He courts her. Is it fate that led to their meeting? Is this finally a man who appreciates her for who she is?