La Strada (The Road) is a 1954 film directed by Federico Fellini, with Anthony Quinn and Giulietta Masina. The film was partly shot at the famous Saltanò Circus, with actors and extras taken from that circus. Fellini changed the name of Anthony Quinn’s character from Saltanò into Zampanò, maybe for copyright reasons. The picture won an Oscar for best foreign film in 1957. It was the year the foreign prize was instituted and it allowed Fellini to break out from national boundaries.

The story of four young women, aged seventeen, who were born into upper middle class families in a provincial Italian city. Their perfect lives, their high profile families, their shopping, their sports activities, their boyfriends, and their exclusive parties are all a huge bore for them. Elena, the group’s leader, finds herself in a strange situation when their newly arrived teacher, Mario Landi, enters unknowingly into their adolescent games.

Lecce, in the 1990s. Ignazio is an esteemed judge who has recently returned to the city after working for many years in the north. He meets Lucia again, the woman he has secretly loved since childhood. The woman works as a perfumes representative, but this is just a front. In reality, Lucia has become the right hand woman of the boss Carmine Za, one of the heads of Sacra Corona Unita (United Sacred Heart), the new criminal organization that in 90s reached its apex of power and ferocity.

Calenzano felt the need to tell Imma and Calogiuri some details about his childhood in Switzerland so that they would be able to understand what had happened between him and Stella.

With Franco Calenzano, Imma reminisces, in a friendly way, about the summers when they were younger and about the music they would listen to, notably, E ti vengo a cercare (I'll come looking for you).

Imma clears up some more questions with Eufemia Abate about the person Stella was smiling at in the photograph.She has that person summoned for some questioning.

De Nardis ends up confessing to how things went. He is held responsible for both Stella's and Eustacchio's deaths. Imma is still perplexed, however.

Imma and Calogiuri enter the cave where the footing is uneven and the two are thrown together. The police have found the boy and De Nardis is called into headquarters for more questioning.

As sometimes happens, something Pietro says, even in an intimate moment, reminds Imma of some detail in the case. Off she goes with Calogiuri to try for some new leads.

Imma manages to interview Stacchio's father, who is not exactly forthcoming. Back home, Imma gets complaints about her cooking and they listen to the news report about the missing boy.

Leaving school, Valentina and her friend meet up with a certain Samuel who has a little present for Valentina. Imma and Calogiuri see Stacchio's friends and ask them some questions, with the pretext that Calogiuri had lost his dog.

Imma gets some information from her "helpful" colleague and goes to Eustacchio's school to find out more. Viewers might recognize his teacher.

Calogiuri shows up at Imma's office with a possible piece of evidence, meriting a trip to see Stacchio again. They head out together but there is some troubling news awaiting them there.

Imma attends Stella's burial at the cemetery and is struck by the writing on a wreath. She introduces herself to the woman who placed it on the gravesite and tries to find out a little more about Stella's life. She is also drawn to the ossuary or wall burial site bearing the name, Centino Latronico. We recall him as the man Imma suspects might have been her real father.

Imma talks to Stacchio again and finds a few more pieces to the puzzle. She also talks to the coroner to learn some details about Stella's death. She also has new information about a certain phone call.