Mamma Roma (Anna Magnani) is an Italian call girl who's hoping to get out of her current vocation in order to spend more time with her son and create a better life for herself. Things don't go as planned, though, as her pimp and previous customers keep resurfacing, making it nearly impossible for her to leave the past behind. She goes back to hooking, until she learns that her son (Ettore Garofolo) has been arrested for robbery.