Giulietta Masina (the late Federico Fellini's wife) stars as Gelsomina, who is sold by her mother into the employ of Zampano (Anthony Quinn), a vicious strongman. They join up with a travelling circus where Zampano encounters his old rival, tightrope artist The Fool (Richard Basehart). The Fool befriends Gelsomina and presents her with an uplifting view of the world as opposed to the coldness and cruelty she has endured throughout her life.

Although Fellini is closely associated with the Italian Neo-realist movement, 'La Strada' indicates a move away from his pursuit of realism, revelling in surreal escapist qualities to depict the plight of Gelsomina. Nina Rota's score contributes a great deal towards Fellini's change of direction.