In late 19th-century Sicily, the noble Uzeda family—whose lineage dates back to the ancient viceroys that ruled those lands—fights to preserve its waning power in the face of the newly unified Italian regime.
A relationship develops between seasoned actor Stefano and his young, ambitious co-star Laura when they are cast as the two leads in a film. Stefano must deal with his growing jealousy when Laura's career begins to take off.
Raffaele an off-campus university student, with a strong love for science and for his fiancée Alice. Raffaele is a hard worker, in order to pay the university he does two jobs: he is a bellhop at a flower shop and a clerk in a clothing store, all without the two employers being aware of the other respective job.