Attilio is a 17-year-old boy living in the Traiano neighborhood of Naples. With his father having just been released from prison, in order to earn some money he agrees to be a guardian for Anastasia, a young prostitute from Eastern Europe. Progressively a feeling arises between the two that will push the boy to make choices.
A classic whodunit mystery, as the characters go about their lives in 1920s Italy, when Benito Mussolini's brand of fascism was on the rise.
A moral discussion between sexes arises when an aspiring photographer secretly takes pictures of his barely dressed neighbour in the search for his artistic expression.