An old man and his son are walking along the road when they suddenly meet a speaking crow, which represents Marxist beliefs. They are soon moved back 750 years in time, changed into monks and sent by St. Francis to convert the hawks and the sparrows to Christianity.

Pasolini, who considered this the favorite of his films, takes aim at all of his usual targets: the Catholic Church, intellectuals, the bourgeoisie. Brought to life by Totò—a comic genius under-appreciated outside of Italy—who, playing himself, encounters a talking crow with Marxist leanings.