Gianni, Nicola, and Antonio, united by fervent ideals during the Resistance, take different paths after the war: Antonio works as a hospital porter in Rome, Gianni becomes a successful lawyer, and Nicola teaches in Nocera Inferiore, fighting for a cinema that can change society. Luciana, initially loved by Antonio, is courted and later abandoned by Gianni, who seeks social advancement through a convenient marriage. The friends meet less and less frequently, but after many years, an unexpected reunion, including Luciana, leads them to reflect on how time and society have diminished their ideals and changed their lives.