1900

Alfredo, the son of a landowner, and Olmo, the illegitimate grandson of a farmer, grow up together. In childhood, Alfredo accepts Olmo both as a friend and as an enemy, admiring but also fearing him. Olmo doesn’t reject Alfredo’s company, but neither does he seek it out, obeying a fledgling class instinct. When they grow up, the two friends grow apart... Through the life of Alfredo and Olmo, the film unfolds the history of Italy, from 1900, the year that the protagonists were born, to the end of WWII.