Augusto is a con artist, one of a trio of swindlers who dress up as clerics and officials to prey on poor peasants in the Italian countryside. However, when Augusto is unable to offer devotion and support to his beloved daughter, the emotional demands of his trade quickly begin to take their toll.

The follow-up to his breakthrough La strada, Il bidone is a blend of Neo-Realism and fantasy, amusingly satirical and achingly sad. Recognizably, fully, Fellini, in its intertextual links to his previous work, and a standout party scene that could be straight out of La dolce vita.