It is the middle of August in an apartment in the Roman suburbs. Tommaso is a teenager and is subjected to the teasing of his older brother Leonardo, who calls him "Pelorosso" because of his coppery hair. If he wants his brother to stop teasing him, Tommaso will have to cut his hair.

Tommaso is an American expat film director living in Rome with his young wife and their daughter. Disoriented by his past misgivings and subsequent unexpected blows to his self-esteem, Tommaso wades through this late chapter of his life with an increasingly impaired grasp on reality as he prepares for his next film.

A redeemed ex-robber with a mysterious past, Dragan, and a young worker and father of a family, Daniele, share a passion for the game of chess, thanks to which they get to know each other and become good friends. When Mr. Assante, a wealthy and ruthless entrepreneur, decides to move his company abroad where the profits are greater, Daniele, unemployed and desperate for his disastrous financial conditions, convinces the reluctant Dragan to dust off his criminal past.