In the late 1950s, in Africo, a small village in the south of the Aspromonte Valley, a woman dies during childbirth because the doctor does not arrive on time. No road connects Africo with other villages. After this tragedy, all of the inhabitants of Africo – including the children – let their usual activities rest and build their own road together. The new teacher Giulia comes from the north with the mission to teach the standard Italian language and thus contribute to Africo’s cultural integration into the rest of the country. But she is struggling with the local mafioso Don Totó, who is determined to keep the city cut off and thus under his control.