In this Federico Fellini film, Marcello Mastrioanni stars as Fellini's alter ego, here depicted as a gossip columnist. Having left his dreary provincial existence behind, Mastrioanni wanders through an ultra-modern, ultra-sophisticated, ultra-decadent Rome. Throughout his adventures, Mastrioanni's dreams, fantasies, nightmares, and fears are mirrored by the hedonism all around him.