An American science professor, who inherited an ancient palace in Rome from his Italian mother, lives almost barricaded in his apartment, filled mostly with family portraits known as “Conversation pieces” by the English. Realizing that science, nowadays employed in the service of the most alienating technology, contributes to total disintegration, he has secluded himself among books and art documents, meditating selfishly on the values of life and humanity. One day, Marchesa Bianca Brumonti manages—partly through deception and partly through force—to rent the upstairs apartment for her young lover, Conrad. Initially, the professor is irritated by the intrusion of Conrad, Bianca’s daughter Lietta, and her boyfriend Stefano. However, he gradually feels revitalized by the presence of these young and noisy characters.