Professor Dal Mario, university professor of the history of philosophy, has two “disciples”, who curry to him in the hopes of following in his footsteps. They are Grossi and Parini. The one is awaiting the decision of a committee which, due to the intervention of the professor, should be in his favour. The other has asked his “master” to write the preface to his book. The first is sly, the second a hypocrite. Both of them are able to express themselves to the worst of their abilities when the professor comes down with a stroke. In their own interests they avoid having the professor taken to hospital and they keep the stroke a secret. The intervention of a student gets the professor to hospital at last. The professor’s life is saved but he has lost his powers of speech. Communicating by means of a computer Dal Mario pardons Grossi who has come to confess what he’s done and ask forgiveness. He even tells Grossi that he did even worse in his own time to win his own chair..