Francesco Tiano

In 1914, a cruise ship sets sail from Naples to spread the ashes of beloved opera singer Edmea Tetua near Erimo, the isle of her birth. During the voyage, the eclectic array of passengers discovers a group of Serbian refugees aboard the vessel. Peace and camaraderie abound until the ship is descended upon by an Austrian flagship. The Serbians are forced to board it, but naturally they resist, igniting a skirmish that ends in destruction.

Young Franco is imprisoned for murder and rises to become the feared and powerful 'Professor', taking control of Naples' underworld from behind bars.

On the outskirts of Naples during the Second World War, naïve 15 year-old Miluzza, subjected to repeated abuse by the men around her, is unable to escape the confines of her small village. After her mother's unfortunate death, she meets a wounded soldier and helps him return to his family's farm. He falls in love and wants to marry her but his mother insists on his betrothal to a virgin.