In Venice, Daniele runs a dredge that is digging a new lagoon canal, called "The Canal of the Angels." He is married to Anna, who is much younger than him, and the two have a child, Andrea. Due to a work injury, Daniele is unable to accompany his wife to a party. There Anna meets "the captain," a young sailor who, while waiting for his dreamed boarding on a large ocean liner, works as a ticket-tak...

Set in a somber, shadowy Venice, the film opens with the mysterious disappearance of Dr. Carlo Pavani, a well‑respected executive at Assicurazioni Generali. His absence causes much concern in his upper‑class household. Several days later, his body is found washed up onto the steps of a palazzo on the lagoon.