Milan, 1974. Student Irene Mastrangelo, the daughter of immigrants from the South, finds a job at fashion magazine Appeal, to avoid burdening her family any further. Her qualities are appreciated by stern editor-in-chief Rita Pasini, who takes her to meet designer Albini. But one evening, her boyfriend Luigi surprises her as she leaves her office with handsome photographer Jon Sassi, and has a row with her.

An evening at the disco ends with Irene returning home at dawn, and deciding to move to Monica's house after a quarrel with her father. Fashion Milan is preparing meanwhile for the big event: Krizia’s catwalk will be at the Triennale, but Rita, invited for Appeal, does not show up. Irene therefore decides to replace her and manages to get inside with a stratagem, and to obtain an interview from the designer.

While Monica is managing to carry out a children's fashion shoot with a creative idea, Irene has to go to the Missonis' at Sumirago to fetch some clothes for a shoot. But once she gets there, Irene realises she can obtain an exclusive interview, an initiative which is not appreciated at all by deputy director Nava. But the day is not over: the dinner with Luigi's parents ends in an unexpected way.

Irene, now single, is assigned a photoshoot for Lella Curiel, to take place in Morocco. The model is Helena, who overdoes it with alcohol once she arrives in Morocco and is not able to pose. To avoid missing the shoot, Irene convinces photographer Jon, with whom she ends up in bed, to replace Helena with a black waitress. But Irene's idea will not earn the success it hoped for, at Appeal...

Rita asks Irene, who has just passed her journalism exam, to accompany her to Giorgio Armani’s, who is preparing the first collection in his name: Irene manages to gain his confidence and to convince him to pose for a cover. During an evening with her editorial staff friends, she casually meets charming Davide Frangi, who will help her to solve a very difficult situation.

Rita gets the assignment for interviewing Valentino in Rome, but she has to stay in Milan to meet her son Simone, who is in trouble with the police, so she asks Irene and Monica to replace her. But the Roman expedition does not prosper, because the designer does not wish to meet the two young women. As if this were not enough, upon returning the two girls get locked out of home because they have been evicted.

Fashion entrepreneur Beppe Modenese organises Idea Como, an innovative opportunity for designers and weavers to meet. Irene and Rita are invited, and Irene sees handsome Davide Frangi again, who invites her to dinner. Their evening ends at a hotel in Bellagio, while Monica, who has found a new apartment for rent, begins to frequent Diego, the landlady's son.

Nava and Ludovica have abandoned Appeal to found Fascino, a competing magazine which is stealing the best photographers to be had. While Appeal director Frattini reveals to Rita that he is very sick, Irene's enthusiasm is able to motivate the entire editorial staff: in order to reboot Appeal, she will go to New York for the inauguration of the new Fiorucci store and to find new photographers.