墨索里尼的新城镇Sabaudia充斥着颓废的气氛, 艾希欧(Elio Germano饰演) 和他的哥哥玛瑞科 (Riccardo Scamarcio饰演)生活在一起在残存的砖瓦建筑中。艾希欧是一个不合时宜的反叛分子,他不管他的父母和兄弟的反对加入了新法西斯主义MSI党。而玛瑞科是一个左翼人士。影片通过两兄弟的政见矛盾表现了当时小镇的社会背景,从而反映了当时的政治现状和社会现状。影片也再现了二十世纪六七十年代意大利的社会创伤和生活风情。 宛如耀眼恒星般的哥哥,在左派舞台闪动着让支持者神魂颠倒的魅力;原本遁入神学院就读的男主角,却在哥哥不怀好意带来的艳星照片‘折腾’下,放弃了与上帝接触的机会。影片藉由兄弟、情人、家庭关系的变迁,侧写义大利近二十年的历史。剧本出自《灿烂时光》同一人手笔,只不过篇幅更精简一点,热情与曲折仍是一本初衷。Two brothers come of age in the 1960s in a town south of Rome. Manrico is handsome, sometimes feckless, a leftist making the revolution. His younger brother Accio ("Bully") is a seminarian when the story beings, soon home studying Latin and joining the Fascists. Francesca, an aristocratic student, becomes Manrico's lover and Accio's friend. Over the next ten years, these three experience family, love, attraction, politics, and the challenges of adult responsibility. Subplots include Nastri, a father figure and political guide to Accio, Nastri's wife Bella who guides Accio in other ways, and the brothers' parents and sister, who are dazzled by Manrico's charm while depending on Accio.