For ten years, immigrant Tobias has worked at a Swiss clock factory and, in the relentless ticking, he saw life go by without much expectation. One day, he sees Caroline, a former schoolmate from back in Eastern Europe, and falls in love with her, but she's married and has a daughter.

In 18th-century Sicily, deaf-mute highborn Marianna Ucrìa is forced to marry at age 13, bearing three children before even turning 16, when she finally gives birth to a boy. Despite everything, she'll find a way to emancipate herself from the oppressive social conventions of the time.

The last 57 days of magistrate Paolo Borsellino, killed by the Sicilian Mafia in 1992, as seen by the six brave officers of his security detail who will die with him.

Guido Brenta is in the navy during a war but returns home eager to resume his former life filled with romantic entanglements. However, he encounters disappointment as his father's financial struggles worsen. His sister, Rosy, is involved with wealthy Vieri Levrieri, and as Guido navigates complex family relationships and a tumultuous friend group, he falls in love with Eugenia, Vieri's sister. The friendships dissolve under pressure, leading to unexpected outcomes.