In the near future, the southern Italian city of Taranto is surrounded by barbed wire that no one, not even the police, dares to cross. The poorest are left fighting for survival, while gangs compete for the territory. Two thirteen-year-old orphans who grew up together, dream of joining one of the gangs.

In every man there lies a woman who can be awakened. The prohibited book De Serpentis Munere. Alchemical formulae able to change male DNA in female. Mysterious radioactive water. A biologist and a Vatican priest in search of the truth.

An unknown actress lands the role of a lifetime in Rome. Paired with an American journalist writing a profile, she will discover surprises about love and life in the eternal city.