Two close-knit brothers, Nicola (Luigi Lo Cascio) and Matteo (Alessio Boni), are buffeted by the social and political upheavals that rock their native Italy during the 1960s and ’70s as they navigate their way into adulthood, marriage and middle age. Along the way, Nicola meets Giulia (Sonia Bergamasco), the love of his life whose political beliefs take precedence over her personal happiness, while Matteo falls for the lovely photographer-turned-librarian Mirella (Maya Sansa).

Nicola and Matteo begin their adventure, helping Giorgia, a young girl confined to an asylum. Then, after the flood of Florence, Nicola meets Giulia, a talented piano player with a dangerous sympathy for the secret Red Brigades terrorist cell. Matteo, a rebel spirit, joins the police and eventually meets the optimistic photographer Mirella. These four characters and many others navigate life in Italy from the sixties through the early years of the millennium.