Cabiria (Giulietta Masina) is a resilient Italian sex worker operating in Rome who, despite the various disappointments which come her way, always looks on the bright side of life.
Her optimism is threatened, however, when she is rejected first by glamorous film star Alberto Lazzari (Amedeo Nazzari), then by her outwardly respectable fiancé, Oscar (François Périer), who absconds with Cabiria's life savings...
