This documentary about the life of Vittorio De Sica, Italian actor and film director, is narrated by Marco Paolini. We begin during the occupation by the Nazis. Vittorio is in Rome shooting a film.

In her final years, Rita Levi-Montalci was very, very frail, but she never lost her combative spirit. Romano Prodi recalls the last time he saw her.

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

Luigi can't wait for the tube to be removed and expresses how grateful he would be to Doctor Policari... Peppe is still hoping someone will remember him from two years earlier.

Camilla gets up and gets ready for work, but Renzo and Livietta are surprised. It turns out Camilla doesn't realize it's her day off, so she has the whole day in front of her.

Vittorio De Sica did different kinds of movies, both as an actor, and a director, and had great success, although critics appreciated his comedies more than his serious movies. Whatever kind of film he was directing, he laughed and cried along with the actors. They loved him.

Giulio is still looking for a girlfriend for Lele and Alice is helping out with a list of her friends. Ciccio either has a cold or is pretending to. At the clinic, a suspicious fax arrives for Lele.

The documentary concludes with some valuable advice from Rita Levi-Montalcini about how to live one's life. People who knew her offer some adjectives to describe who she was.

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

Luigi complains that all he hears doctors and nurses say is, un passo alla volta (one step at a time). He would love a little optimism and reassurance.

Camilla finds herself with her pants soaked in milk that has leaked from the container in her bag. The woman she is talking to her invites her home to change. While she is there, Gaetano calls her back.

When the Americans bombed Rome in 1943, Maria was shooting a film in the San Lorenzo area, right where the freight yards were, the target of the bombing. Vittorio, on the other side of town, rushed to the site. Life would soon become extremely complicated and dangerous for those in the film industry.

Ciccio is in bed pretending to be sick when his grandparents show up. They have a gift for him. At the clinic, a woman shows up and is examined by Mariano, but there's a problem.

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.

Moscati tries to calm the crowd of people and help them understand that it isn't necessary to burn all their household belongings, and that cholera is transmitted through their drinking water. He promises to help treat them as Elena watches the scene from afar.