Sicily, Italy, a beautiful sunny town by the sea, everything changed by the beginning of the war, and the ordinary and peaceful town became crazy in the midst of disaster. Loyalty to the leader and the country led Nino to join the army and fight on the front lines, leaving only his beautiful wife, Marina, at home.
The war led to an extreme shortage of supplies, and the beautiful Marlena faced the hardships of life and searched for fruitless jobs, but it aroused the strange eyes of the townspeople. The men coveted Marlena's beauty, and the women, while jealous of her beauty, worried about their intended husbands.
Reinaldo, who is still in school, and a group of adolescent friends are also infatuated with Marlena, and they often skip class and wait to look at her back at the intersection she passes. But what was different was that little Reinaldo had already regarded Marlena as a sacred lover in his heart, and he wanted to approach her, but he did not have enough courage to satisfy himself in his fantasies.
Father bought Reinaldo a used bicycle, and he felt that he had become free in an instant, and he wanted to fly in the sky like a small bird. One day, he skipped class again and watched in front of Marlena's house, fantasizing about the beautiful Marlena opening the door and beckoning him to help buy a pack of cigarettes. But Marlena, as usual, did not notice Reinaldo's presence at all.
The men of the town began to do everything they could to please and approach Marlena, including officers, lawyers, dentists, and men of all stripes, whose usual manners were in stark contrast to their vile and vulgar appearance towards a kind woman. And all this was seen by Reinaldo, who often waited near Marlena, who knew that he was still young, and had to pray silently, hoping that he would grow up quickly and protect the lover in his heart.
News came from the front that Nino had died on the battlefield. Officials held ceremonies to mourn the heroes of the war while deducting Marlena's living allowance. The townspeople coveted or jealous of her beauty, and no one ever gave her a job. Losing her living allowance, her life became more and more difficult, but she still insisted on her modesty and beauty.
Her husband had been sacrificed for ten months, and as the war intensified, Marlena's life gradually became unsustainable, and even eating became a problem. In order to survive, she accepted the pursuit of a handsome officer. One night, the dentist who went to Marlena's house to try to misbehave happened to bump into an officer who had just left the house, and the dentist was jealous and tore at the officer. Marlena was sued by the dentist's wife, and the officers were assigned to the field battlefield. Marlena finds a lawyer in the town to defend herself, but is raped by a dirty and ugly lawyer because she can't afford to pay the lawyer's fee.
Marlena's father, unable to tolerate the gossip of the townspeople about his daughter, resigned from school and returned home, cutting off contact with Marlena. The Allied offensive grew stronger, and in a massive air raid, Marlena's father was killed in a bombing raid. No matter how powerful a woman is, in the face of her husband's sacrifice, the helplessness of life, the death of her father, and the slander of everyone, she will choose to collapse.
Marlena resolutely cut off her long flowing hair, began to satisfy the dreams of the old men in the town, and lived herself as the old women in the town imagined. Reynaldo looked at the goddess in his heart and fell day by day in order to survive, and shed tears of pain.
The Allied armies occupied the town, and the women, overwhelmed by the war, used Marlena as a target for venting, and Marlena was beaten in public. And the men who are obsessed with Marlena's posture are all acting as spectators.
A scarred Marlena left the town with simple luggage, and she had nothing left. Traumatized by war and life, she just wanted to live, beautiful and graceful, but the vulgar and despicable town could not tolerate her beauty.
As people prepare to live again in the ruins of the war, Marlena's husband, Nino, who has been declared dead, returns to the town, where he lost an arm in the war and survived. But the war not only left him physically disabled, but also impoverished, not only his wife was missing, but even his former home was occupied.
Renardo tells NinoMarina where she is, and Nino goes to find his long-lost wife according to the address provided by Renardo, and looks at Nino's waddling back, and Renardo falls into thought. A year later, Nino found Marlena, who had been displaced, and the two returned to the town. In the face of the people's watch and temptation in the town, Marlena chose to forgive, even though she had experienced inhuman pain and suffering, she still maintained her innate beauty and elegance.
Reinaldo, who had grown up and no longer wore shorts, was once again waiting at the intersection where Marlena passed. Looking at his first love goddess, silently blessing...