Mombelli (Alberto Sordi) is an elementary school teacher whose wife Ada (Claire Bloom) dreams of becoming wealthy. She talks him into quitting his job and investing all of their money in a shoe factory. The family and the business fall apart when Ada is killed in a car wreck, and the colorless Mombelli has no choice but to return to his dull world of academia. Vito de Taranto plays the schoolmaster in a role that is a cardboard caricature. Although Sordi injects some satire and comedy into his role, his performance isn't enough to overcome this meandering feature that often gets bogged down.