Giulio, a young man from Sicily, arrives in Rome to trace back Aurora, his ex-girlfriend whom he cannot forget. He stays with a couple of family friends, Rosalia and Eugenio, who have lost their only son, Nello, of the same age as Giulio. The presence of Giulio in their house forces Rosalia and Eugenio to come out of their long period of mourning, but at the same time Giulio, realizing that he will probably never find Aurora, starts sinking into a depressive state fueled by drinks and drugs. Rosalia and Eugenio's efforts to get Giulio out of it are in vain and when Giulio finally meets Aurora by accident, things can only get worse.