In the stifling Italy of the 1930s, the life of Aldo, an ordinary civil servant, is overshadowed by the obligation to wear a badge. As the fascist regime takes over the streets and homes, he dares not do more than quietly criticize the regime in the kitchen. In this dramatic film, Luigi Zampa lays bare, with quiet yet sharp observation, how major historical upheavals crush ordinary people. When war comes knocking at the door and his son is called to the front, Aldo’s sense of guilt turns into an ever-growing burden. In a system where everyone conforms, defending the truth amounts to nothing more than a belated realization.