After their boss' death, two clerks eagerly await the arrival of the next one, each one of them hoping to become the apple of his eye. They compete in every possible way to impress him, which causes lots of trouble and many misunderstandings.

In late 19th century Sicily, handsome free-spirit Liolà wanders into town, where he encounters an old flame now married to a wealthy landowner.

The determination of cyclist Marco Pantani leads him to win the Giro d'Italia and (as the only Italian) the Tour de France, as well as to overcome serious accidents. In 1999, his hematocrit level is found to be above the permitted threshold: this marks the beginning of a downward spiral that leads to depression and death from drugs.

In this improbable, ponderous story about a couple who do not want to have children of their own, and a pregnant, single woman who needs a home for awhile, the relationship between the three is strange, at the very least.