Francesco Maselli guides us through a series of events closely linked to his own personal life which formed the crucible that molded the art and culture of the twentieth century. Brought up in intellectual circles, a grandson of Luigi Pirandello, he is initially a privileged observer against the background of the Maselli family salon and subsequently one of the protagonists of Italian culture. The cultural issues of the thirties spring vividly back to life; the war, the resistance, the liberation. Culture and politics. The flowering of Italian post-war cinema and his own private life. Friends old and new tell the tale and through their intimate reconstruction of shared memories they weave an intricate tapestry which yields a unique sketch of the past capable of illuminating the future.