In Italy, Daniele Dominici, a gambler and poetry professor, travels to the coastal town of Rimini where he takes on a four-month teaching position at the local high school, filling in for an absent teacher. His relationship with his partner, Monica, is strained, leading him to spend much of his time with new friends and fellow gamblers, Giorgio, Marcello, and Gerardo. In his class, he encounters the stunning nineteen-year-old student Vanina Abati, who is romantically involved with Gerardo.