In 1958, on the verge of the Prostitution in Italy#Legge Merlin L. 75.2F58 that makes brothels illegal, Mimma (Debora Caprioglio), a young country girl, comes to town and decides to work as a prostitute in order to help her fiancĂ© get the money to start their own business, and is given the name Paprika at Madame Collette’s (Martine Brochard) house. Once her fiancĂ© betrays her, Mimma gives up her original ambitions and decides to become a career prostitute. In the process, she loses any sense of self-confidence and self-respect, but eventually she finds redemption, wealth, and her one true love.