Antonioni shows how superstitions and old wives' tales accompany Italian countrymen from their birth until their death. Blind faith in magical properties of objects, incantations, and irrational rituals organise their lives. The director pictures the absurdity of those beliefs in an instructional way: a woman is kneeling on a patch and eating parsley without using her hands, as it is supposed to help her in getting milk for her baby. The narrator talks about how to put a hex on somebody and how to protect yourself from one. Superstitions and rituals enrich the people's monotonous life and give hope for a better fate, e.g. bathing a newborn child in water with: a coin, a feather, a piece of wood, a piece of iron and a pair of scissors is supposed to bring the baby happiness in its adult life.