1860, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. While Garibaldi's troops are invading this lawless territory, four female bandits nicknamed the "Drudes" are looking for their own personal revenge.

This film, based on a 19th-century novel by Giovanni Verga, depicts the torrid history of three generations of a Sicilian family. The Malavoglia family, comprising fishermen and women, navigates the challenges of living in a world of shifting fortunes.

It's 1943 and World War II is raging in Europe. In New York, Arturo and Flora the daughter of a restaurant owner are in love, but she is promised in marriage to the son of a Mafia boss. There is a way around this, but to be able to marry Flora, Arturo needs to get permission from her father, who lives in a village in Sicily. Arturo doesn't have any money, so the only way he can get to Sicily is to enlist in the U.S. Army, which is preparing for a landing on the island.

1828. After witnessing the brutal repression of revolutions in monarchist South, three young friends join Giuseppe Mazzini's patriotic cause, seeking to finally unify Italy under a republican government. Their idealism will clash with the inevitable disillusionment as they grow apart over the following decades.