Wo der heiße Wind weht

Pigeons and vagabonds populate the town square of Porto Manacore, the seedy Italian fishing village perched above the Adriatic where passion and power are equally corrupt. Overlooking the immoral hoi polloi from his baroque apartment on high is the town's wealthiest patriarch Don Cesare. Lusted after by the men of the town is his gorgeous housekeeper, Mariette, the resident whipping girl to the Don's other female caretakers. When the handsome yet broke Milanese engineer Enrico Tosso comes to town, Mariette concocts a daring scheme to marry him. But the devilish Matteo Brigante, local brute and admirer of Mariette, connives to shut Enrico out by using "The Law", a vicious drinking game and humiliating power play, as his weapon of choice.