A dramatic and tense love story set in the picturesque Italian town of Ascoli Piceno where wounded World War One veteran Luciano observes the world through the windows of his elegant restaurant and believes that he can live life according to his own rules despite the encroaching darkness of Mussolini's fascism. Set in 1938, two years before Italy entered World War Two, the tension builds as one by one individual freedoms are restricted. When Anna arrives in the town and begs for employment, it becomes clear that there is more to her story than she has admitted. As they become emotionally involved and the political situation worsens Luciano finds himself in an impossible situation.