Corrado, the teacher, is plagued by a feeling of inadequacy. He has no certainties to rely on. He does not live life in its fullness, he only looks at it. His beloved hills are his refuge, but even there his thoughts on existential themes do not leave him alone, in peace. It's wartime: 1943 and 1944. Reprisals, raids, ambushes, and destruction deeply affected the joy of living. Above all, the presence of a dead soldier stops every thought and demands an answer.