Italy, 1940: Carmen de Blasco is married to a fascist, but falls in love with a friend of her father Ubaldo, the young partisan Armando Zani. At the end of the war, their daughter Giulia is born, but Carmen returns to her husband. Two decades later, Giulia falls in love with university student Ermes Corsini. Nevertheless, he decides to marry the egocentric, but rich heiress Marta Montini. After some years and a disastrous marriage, Giulia meets the love of her life again. Ermes is annoyed by Marta, so he starts an affair with Giulia, but one day she gets a horrible diagnosis...