一场大火吞噬了莫德丝塔的过往，也焚尽了她的枷锁。她被修道院那位圣洁美丽的院长收留，却在日复一日的仰望中，滋长出禁忌的渴望——既然得不到偏爱，那便将她拖入深渊。

二十世纪初的西西里，腥咸的海风裹挟着暴力与背叛。莫德丝塔辗转至贵族深宅，释放欲望，尽享当下的欢愉。直到法西斯主义盛行，莫德斯塔在硝烟中投身政治，成了共产主义的信徒。她在权谋与信仰的交织中淬炼成钢，成为乱世灵魂的庇护所。

她生于灰烬，却活成了燎原的烈焰……

Orlanda, Liuccia, Milù, Blu Blu and Veronica are five women in Palermo, Sicily, each different from the other. But, along with transvestite Kim and young man Maurizio, they all share something: they're "buttane", hookers, who spend the day between the streets and home; some got children, some got problems with the pimps, some with the clients...