Art dealer Trevor and his best friend Dante, an Italian/American fashion photographer, holiday in Capri where they both fall for Antonia, a local beauty. One of them marries her. Back in London Antonia is last seen in Regent's Park walking her Jack Russell terrier. The remains of a female body are recovered from Regent's Canal, and both her husband and his best friend are suspects in what increasingly appears to be a murder. This fast-moving story travels backwards in time. Exploration of the mystery of Antonia's fate follows twists and turns as hair-raising as the roads on the mountainous isle of Capri. The audience is ushered to the astonishing ending, proving along the way that the deepest mystery of all is that of the soul torn between desire and loyalty.

　意大利经典警匪片。《出生入死》从集团犯罪的源头——西西里入手，把战后黑社会在西西里乃至整个意大利的演变历史和现状的方方面面进行了更为细致深刻的分析，就像影片本名“La piovra”（章鱼）所隐喻的那样，黑社会就像章鱼一样，已经把它的千万条触角深入渗透到了社会的各个角落，政界、金融界、司法界、工商业、新闻媒体，无论是官员、贵族、资本家还是平民劳动阶层，没有人能够彻底摆脱这种阴影，它已经和支持社会的所有骨架血肉相连，成为一个整体，根本无法斩断、分解或剥离。和《教父》不同，影片中正邪角色的分配势均力敌，但无论是正面人物还是反面人物，都被塑造得有血有肉，谁都有弱点，谁也都有其人性的一面。

爱丽丝（宝拉·柯特莱西 Paola Cortellesi 饰）嫁入了豪门，过着人人羡慕的阔太太的生活，她也心安理得的享受着此刻拥有的一切，尽情的挥霍着金钱。让她万万没有想到的是，丈夫竟然在一场意外中丧生了，紧接着，丈夫的律师又告诉了爱丽丝一个噩耗，那就是她的丈夫不仅没有给她留下遗产，还有一堆的债务要爱丽丝偿还。如果爱丽丝无法在期限时间内还清债务，那么就将失去孩子的抚养权。
无奈之下，艾莉莉丝只得搬出了富丽堂皇的大别墅，住到了贫民窟中。常年养尊处优的生活让爱丽丝的性格非常的狭隘乖僻，而从现在开始，她不得不和自己瞧不起的穷人们生活在一起。