People seem to think Alberto is a bit nuts. He's about to go on live TV, and people around him hope he doesn't botch it. The name of the TV show is Non è mai troppo tardi (it's never too late). What's implied in the title is that it's never to late to learn to read and write. In Italian, a person who never learned to read or write is called analfabeta.

In Italy, at least in the past, the process of distributing teaching jobs was a real jungle, as you will see. The list, assembled by a complicated point system, involving test scores, experience, seniority, etc, was what would determine whether an aspiring teacher would have a job that year or not. Alberto Manzi knows he is qualified, but gets an unpleasant surprise at the education office.

Manzi goes to the reform school for his first day of teaching and finds out all the things he will or won't be able to do.

Will Alberto Manzi be up to the task of dealing with these rough, incarcerated boys? On his off-hours, Alberto goes to see the parish priest about a missing person.

Alberto's friend, Eugenio, is ready to call it quits when it comes to teaching. Alberto is convinced that kids are the future, but even though he made some headway with the kids at the reformatory his first day, there are still huge obstacles.

Manzi isn't getting anywhere with the kids at the reformatory. He talks to the director, and then goes to the Board of Education, too, to complain.

Alberto gets a friend to drive him to where Ida teaches. He recognizes her right away as the kids come out of the school.

Alberto sleeps on the park bench across from Ida's apartment and then goes to work at the prison, where, once again, it's an uphill battle.

Ida reads the letters Alberto had left for her and is clearly moved. She looks out the window at the empty bench...

Alberto Manzi takes an exam, getting a high grade. He takes the opportunity to express his ideas about teaching troubled young people. There's trouble at the reformatory, and Alberto steps in.

Ricotta can't believe his eyes when Manzi comes to take him back to his inmates. The kids are incredulous, too, and Manzi, having gained their respect, can finally begin teaching.

Alberto and the kids at the reformatory all lie down on the ground to see the clouds better. They let their imaginations run wild. Alberto takes Ida and Alda to their new home.

The prison director refuses Alberto's request for writing materials, so he takes matters into his own hands, and learns a thing or two from his pupils, too.

Alberto becomes a hero by bringing his kids some pencils. They start to feel the thrill of simply being able to write their own names.

The kids have gotten to the point where they can write much more than their own names. But what then? Alberto comes up with a wonderful idea.

Manzi's pencil ruse gets found out and he is called into the director's office.

The director of the reformatory has done a bit of thinking and comes to see the boys, a rare occurence. Manzi, with his proverbial foot in the door, keeps trying to push it open even wider. There is news on the home front, too.

The reformatory director is clearly affected by what his inmates have written. Meanwhile, the magazine takes shape, involving getting it typed, collated, and stapled.

Alberto goes out on a limb with a pretty amazing surprise for his pupils. Ida is quite concerned, but Alberto is adamant.

Alberto took a huge risk when he decided to take the boys to the seaside. In fact, he wasn't ready for how out of control they would be.

Alberto Manzi gets his degree after his oral exam defending his dissertation, but now he has some tough decisions to make about his future.

Alberto is doing the right thing, but it's not easy. He goes to the reformatory for a last meeting with the director. This is the finale of the first of two episodes in this mini-series.

Some years have passed since the first episode, and Alberto and Ida's family has grown. Alberto's friend Eugenio shows up one day with a very important gift for the family. Everyone is thrilled except for Alberto. Back at the university, where Alberto had accepted a job, his superior is interrupted in the library by someone looking for Professor Manzi.

It's the first day of school after the summer vacation and Manzi is getting his class together. There are some new kids and they aren't all made to feel welcome by the class. In Italy, in elementary school, at least at that time, it was customary for kids to have the same teacher every year.

Manzi, with Felice's help, eventually finds Ricotta and goes to see him. At school, Manzi makes waves with the director again. This time it regards little Giulia.

Ricotta follows his teacher's advice and goes with Felice to a garage where they are hiring. They immediately see why it's important to know how to read and write. At school, Alberto does an experiment with his students and tries to get everyone involved.

Ricotta and Felice rush over to Manzi's house to give them some good news. At school, Manzi and the principal clash over teaching methods.

The principal called on an inspector to evaluate how well Manzi's class is prepared. He is not very kind.

Not surprisingly, Manzi gets suspended and Bedon takes over, making the kids memorize a poem by Giosuè Carducci from 1872. Ricotta has a bad moment at the garage where he works.

Mr. Bedon asks the pupils for the dates of historical events but the only one who knows the answers is Giulia. Bedon thinks he can treat his pupils as he likes, but not everyone sits by quietly.

Alberto notices that Paolo is absent from class. After some discussion with the students, the whole class transfers outside to go and find him.

Manzi is preparing the report cards in his own way. At school, he is teaching the kids about rhythm, and the principal comes in with some intriguing news.

Alberto goes home to share the news with his family. They're watching TV and ignore him, which tells him all he needs to know. The next day he goes to the RAI studios, where he finds a whole different world.

At the auditions for the TV show, one candidate is worse than the next and the producers are very worried. Alberto watches through the door and seems to have an idea.

Alberto Manzi finally gets a chance to explain his doubts about why the auditions are going so badly.

Felice seeks out his teacher's help because Ricotta is getting into trouble again.

Manzi is interviewed by the program team at RAI headquarters. They worry that he will be out of control with the whole world watching, but they appreciate how good his audition was. Meanwhile, Ricotta seems to have found a job, and once again, his studies at the reformatory have proved to be surprisingly valuable.

Manzi's family is helping him get ready for the big evening, his first lesson on TV. Ida has gone to great lengths to get everything as perfect as possible. And even their neighbors want to see his debut.

The moment has arrived, and now it is a matter of standing around in the studio waiting for the show to start. The directors are very nervous and it remains to be seen whether they have reason to be or not. Ida's family plus the neighbors are glued to the TV and can't wait to see Alberto on the small screen.

The show finally happens. Ida, her family, and neighbors are watching from home, Ricotta is watching from the bar, along with everyone else there, and in the studio, the producers are waiting for Alberto to botch things.

After the first episode of Non è mai troppo tardi, Alberto gets some frank criticism from some of the people he cares about most: Ricotta, and his elementary school class. At RAI headquarters, some concerns have come up related to Alberto's duties as an elementary school teacher.

Manzi comes up with a creative way to introduce a letter that isn't technically in the Italian alphabet. Now, Manzi is famous and gets a lot of attention even when walking in the park with Ida. She feels a bit left out.

The RAI producers are worried about how the show is being received on the outside. They soon get some answers. Manzi is also worried, not so much about the show, but about his position as a teacher.

Manzi goes before the Board of Education. Ida finds some letters in Alberto's coat pocket. Manzi explains to the board members why he finds it impossible to give his pupils grades.

On the last day of school, Manzi goes to say goodbye to his pupils, who have taken the exam for their elementary school diplomas. He has written each of them a letter about how far they have come together and urging them never to give up. Outside the school, the principal wonders who all those people are, coming towards the school.

Non è mai troppo tardi (it's never too late) was a huge success, also in many other countries. Along with youngsters who attended school, older folks managed to learn to read and write, and to get their elementary school certificates, thanks to the TV show.