When young army cadet Ciccio (Alessandro Momo) is assigned to spend seven days in the service of a wounded army captain, he little suspects what's in store. Blinded by an explosion, Fausto Consolo (Vittorio Gassman) is nevertheless a pompous, prideful and lecherous aristocrat who needs Ciccio to keep him out of trouble. As they travel across Italy by train, Fausto variously ruffles feathers and chases women until they reach Naples, where he plans to honor a suicide pact.