Year: 1974
Runtime: 96 mins
Language: Italian
Director: Massimo Dallamano
An anonymous tip brings police to a bathroom, revealing a murder once thought a suicide. Fifteen‑year‑old Silvia Polvesi, believed to have hanged herself, is found dead. A peeping‑tom with photos of her and a dropout is released for lack of evidence. Inspector Silvestri and prosecutor Vittoria Stori focus on the parents, exposing a sex ring, a killer and dismembered bodies.
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Following an anonymous tip-off, the police break into an attic apartment in a small town in the province of Brescia and discover the naked body of a schoolgirl hanging from the rafters in an apparent suicide. The autopsy reveals that the victim, 15-year-old Silvia Polvesi Sherry Buchanan, was approximately two months pregnant. While reviewing footage of a student demonstration, Assistant District Attorney Vittoria Stori Giovanna Ralli and Inspector Valentini Mario Adorf see Silvia enter a different building around the time of her death, leading them to suspect that Silvia was murdered and that the killer moved her body to the attic.
Valentini hands the case to Homicide Inspector Silvestri Claudio Cassinelli. During an inspection of the crime scene, a middle-aged man is arrested for taking photographs from a nearby building. The man, Bruno Paglia Franco Fabrizi, had been photographing Silvia with a young man in the attic. Inspector Silvestri tracks down and questions the young man in the photos, Marcello Tosti Paolo Turco, who has an alibi. The police discover the apartment where Silvia was murdered. Inside, they find a tape recorder, and the bathroom walls are smeared with blood, signaling a second victim.
The police release Paglia for lack of evidence. Silvia’s mother, Mrs. Polvesi Marina Berti, tells Vittoria that she found birth control pills in her daughter's coat pocket and had hired a private detective, Ruggero Talenti, who later dropped the case. The investigators uncover Talenti’s dismembered remains wrapped in plastic bags inside the trunk of his own car. Talenti’s secretary and mistress, Rosa Micaela Pignatelli, is in hospital recovering from a car accident, too distressed to answer questions.
That night, Rosa calls Silvestri and asks for help, saying she now wants to cooperate. A cleaver-wielding serial killer wearing black leather and a motorcycle helmet sneaks into the hospital and threatens Rosa, demanding to know where she “hid the stuff.” Silvestri and his colleague Napoli arrive just in time to save her; the killer slashes Napoli’s hand and flees on a motorcycle through a nearby train tunnel.
Back at the hospital, Rosa reveals tape recordings hidden in a vent. The recordings expose an underage prostitution ring run by powerful men. Vittoria plays one recording for Mrs. Polvesi, who confirms Silvia’s voice can be heard. The police learn of a butcher who recently bought a motorcycle, and Sergeant Giardina [Ferdinando Murolo] obtains a photograph of the suspect from his father, who says his son left home three months earlier.
One night the killer attacks Vittoria in her apartment building’s parking garage, but she narrowly survives. The hunt for the butcher named Roberto Meichiorri continues, and a photograph is shown on television. Valentini’s teenage daughter, Patrizia Roberta Paladini, reveals that she learned about the prostitution ring from Giuliana Bigi Adriana Falcão, a classmate. Giuliana tells the police that Paglia recruited her into the ring. Meanwhile, the killer murders Paglia at his home. To bait the culprits, Silvestri tells the press that Paglia survived the attack and has confessed to the police.
When the local newspaper publishes the false confession, Silvia’s psychiatrist, Professor Beltrame Steffen Zacharias, is found dead in his bathtub, apparently a suicide. One of Beltrame’s former patients, Laura Renata Moar, tells Vittoria that the professor used to drug and sexually abuse her. The police unearth incriminating files in Beltrame’s office listing the names of men involved in the prostitution ring, including prominent political figures.
Two young girls call the police claiming they spotted Roberto near a piazza. The police close in, surrounding the area. When Roberto emerges from a building on his motorcycle, attempting to shoot his way out, the officers shoot him dead. In the end, Silvestri’s superiors discourage any prosecution of the ring’s organizers, arguing that it would take months to bring evidence to court, and with the killer already dead, a conviction seems unlikely.
Last updated: January 20, 2026 at 17:12
Explore frequently asked questions about What Have They Done to Your Daughters? (1974) with spoiler-rich answers covering the full plot summary, major story beats, character motivations, hidden details, and ending meaning. This movie summary FAQ helps explain confusing scenes, plot twists, and narrative decisions in clear, searchable detail.
The police found Silvia's naked body hanging from the rafters in an attic apartment, which closely resembled a suicide scene. Her mother had also reported her missing as a runaway, supporting the initial suicide theory. However, the autopsy revealed she was approximately two months pregnant, making suicide unlikely since she had no history of emotional distress.
Earlier in the film, Silvia's mother finds birth control pills in her daughter's coat pocket, hinting at a secret life.
While reviewing footage of a student demonstration, Vittoria Stori noticed Silvia entering a different building around the time of her death. This observation suggested someone moved her body to the attic after killing her elsewhere, proving it was murder rather than suicide.
The tape recordings hidden by Rosa in the hospital vent revealed a clandestine operation where powerful men in the community paid for sex with underage girls. Silvia Polvesi was one of the victims, and the recordings contained her voice, confirming her involvement. The ring included prominent political figures whose names were listed in Beltrame's files.
Silvia's mother discovering birth control pills in her daughter's coat pocket foreshadows the exploitation ring.
The butcher Roberto Meichiorri killed Ruggero Talenti. Talenti was investigating the prostitution ring on behalf of Silvia's mother before he was dismembered and his remains were found wrapped in plastic bags in the trunk of his own car. The killer wanted to silence him before he could reveal what he discovered.
Mrs. Polvesi mentions hiring a private detective who later dropped the case, hinting at danger.
Professor Beltrame was killed because he possessed incriminating files listing the names of men involved in the prostitution ring, including powerful political figures. After the police falsely reported that Paglia had confessed, Beltrame became a target. He was found dead in his bathtub in an apparent suicide, but he was actually murdered to prevent him from testifying.
Beltrame's files were mentioned as evidence linking high-profile individuals to the ring.
Police learned that a local butcher had recently purchased a motorcycle, with tire tracks matching those from the killer's vehicle. They obtained a photograph of the suspect from his father, who said his son had left home three months earlier. When two young girls spotted Roberto near a piazza, police cornered the area and identified him during the confrontation.
The killer's motorcycle was established early as a key piece of evidence.
The masterminds of the prostitution ring escaped prosecution. After Roberto Meichiorri was killed, Silvestri's superiors discouraged any further legal action against the ring's organizers, arguing it would take months to gather evidence and that the main killer was already dead. The powerful men implicated in Beltrame's files were never charged.
Bruno Paglia was murdered because he was a key witness who had recruited girls into the prostitution ring, including Giuliana Bigi. After learning that Paglia had been arrested photographing Silvia, the killer feared he would cooperate with police. He was killed at his home to prevent him from testifying.
Giuliana Bigi reveals that Paglia recruited her into the ring.
Vittoria Stori narrowly survived a nighttime attack in her apartment building's parking garage when the killer, Roberto Meichiorri, ambushed her. The exact details of her survival are not fully shown, but she managed to escape with injuries. This attack intensified the police hunt for the killer.
Silvestri told the press that Paglia had survived the attack and confessed to police as a strategic maneuver to draw out the real culprits. This false information was intended to panic the prostitution ring members into making mistakes or taking actions that would expose them. The tactic led directly to Beltrame's murder.
Rosa, the secretary and mistress of the murdered private detective Talenti, revealed she had hidden tape recordings in a hospital vent. These recordings exposed the entire underage prostitution ring, implicating powerful men in the community. The tapes provided the crucial evidence connecting Silvia's death to the larger criminal network.
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