Where Can You Go Without the Little Vice? (1979) Plot Summary Explained

The husband Cesare Beltramelli is revealed to be a homosexual who enjoys wearing women's clothes as part of his private life. This discovery surprises the investigators who were originally hired to find evidence of him cheating with other women, only to uncover his secret relationship with a transvestite named Lazio, who was formerly a boxing middleweight champion.

• Cesare Beltramelli
• crossdressing
• homosexuality
• Lazio
• transvestite

After discovering the husband's secret life, the investigators devise a scheme to get paid twice. They negotiate with Cesare Beltramelli, who offers them a substantial payout in exchange for the investigators pretending they never saw anything. Meanwhile, they've already made a deal with the seductive wife who promised payment for exposing her husband's infidelity. By keeping quiet and playing both sides, they attempt to collect from both parties.

• double payment
• bribery
• Cesare Beltramelli
• investigation
• money

Lazio is a former boxing middleweight champion who is in a romantic relationship with the husband Cesare Beltramelli. The investigators discover this relationship when they uncover that the husband is actually homosexual and involved with this transvestite, which completely shifts their understanding of the original investigation into alleged infidelity with women.

• Lazio
• boxing champion
• relationship
• transvestite
• secret affair

On their way home after completing the job, the two detectives pick up two women who claim to be Finnish. In a twist of ironic justice, these women turn out to be two men in disguise who rob them of all their money and their car. This farcical ending underscores the film's theme of deception and misdirection, showing that the investigators themselves become victims of the same tactics they used.

• Finnish women
• robbers
• disguise
• robbery
• car theft

The investigators need to infiltrate the Beltramelli household undetected to gather evidence of the husband's infidelity. By posing as the butler Diogene and the cook Carlotta, they gain access to the mansion's inner workings and can observe the husband closely without raising suspicion. This allows them to move freely among the household staff while maintaining their covert surveillance.

Foreshadowing: The infiltration plan is established early as the investigators decide to pass themselves off as household staff.

• disguise
• butler
• cook
• infiltration
• investigation

The wife Danila Trebbi hires the private investigator under the pretense of wanting to know if her husband keeps other women. However, given what the investigators ultimately discover about the husband's homosexuality, the wife's true motives remain ambiguous. She may have suspected the truth but needed confirmation, or she may have been testing the investigators while already having some knowledge of the situation.

• Danila Trebbi
• wife
• motivation
• investigation
• client

The gardeners is portrayed as an abusive sex maniac who poses a real danger to the investigators while they maintain their cover. This subplot adds tension and comedic danger to the operation, as the investigators must deal with this threatening individual while simultaneously trying to gather evidence and maintain their disguises.

• gardener
• threat
• danger
• sex maniac
• household staff

As part of their investigation into the husband's potential infidelity, both detectives begin courting the three women living in or connected to the household. Their goal is to uncover any romantic entanglements the husband might have by getting close to these women. However, this aspect of the mission becomes complicated by their own romantic entanglements and the complexities of servant life in the mansion.

Foreshadowing: The investigation involves both detectives beginning to court the women as part of their surveillance operation.

• three women
• courting
• investigation
• surveillance
• household

After successfully completing their investigation and securing payment from both the husband and the wife, the investigators lose everything on their way home. The two Finnish women they pick up turn out to be two men in disguise who rob them of all their money and steal their car. This ironic twist leaves the investigators empty-handed despite their successful deception.

• money
• car
• robbery
• loss
• earnings