A director with two weeks left on his latest production fakes an ulcer to pursue a romance with his lead actress.

During the German and Romanian invasion of Soviet Union in 1941, Italian writer Curzio Malaparte arrives in Iași to treat a severe allergy. Finding himself in a desperate situation, he tries to find a Jewish doctor, but soon discovers evidence of a devastating pogrom against the Jewish community. Seeking help in the midst of a city plunged in terror and confusion, Malaparte begins to uncover the horrors of an oppressive regime, in an atmosphere marked by indifference and hidden secrets.

A successful young musician, Ana discovers that she has become the object of affection of a stranger who, from a distance, fulfills her most varied desires. But this ritual of seduction is also a demonstration of strength and intelligence on the part of the mysterious admirer.