In the dusty streets of post-World War II Rome, two children chase the dreams they’ve built with their own hands by working as painters. Within the narrow confines that life has imposed on them, the desire to own a horse takes precedence over everything else. But the wheels of fate, turning in the shadow of poverty and the black market, unwittingly draw them into the heart of crime. Vittorio De Sica’s drama captures that fine line where childhood innocence collides with harsh reality. As the damp concrete behind the orphanage walls and the cold presence of the military police slowly erode their friendship, the camera records this descent—from the streets of Rome to the cells of a juvenile detention center—with an unflinching eye.