Italy, September 1943. After the armistice and the flight of the King, the war theaters of the North-East see the advance of Tito's partisans. At the center of the story, in this dramatic historical context, the figure of Norma Cossetto, a young Istrian student, barbarously raped, killed and thrown into a foiba by the Tito partisans.

A young Italian mother is living a life of part-time prostitution in Austria, unbeknownst to her friends and family. Everything seems to be going well until her secret is discovered.

Collatine's chaste wife Lucrece catches Tarquin's eye. Tarquin pursues her, leading to tragic consequences.