Virginia, 33, is a journalist divorced from her husband Ennio. She lives with Micol, 12, and Paolo, 16, who are actually the children from Ennio’s first marriage, but given to him in custody. Paolo runs away from home. Virginia, desperate, asks for help from Giorgio, and together they comb the world that Paolo inhabited without telling the police he’s disappeared in order not to get him into trouble. In Virginia’s house one day Giorgio discovers something incredible: Micol has been taping all the conversations in the house. After the initial embarrassment, Micol and Giorgio decide to use the tapes in order to figure out why Paolo ran away. So while Ennio and Virginia pass entire days together, waiting for news from Paolo, growing closer and closer, the tapes reveal what sort of family environment Paolo had to put up with. Each family member lives nearly barricaded in his own room, in an apartment “divided” into four cantons, totally consumed by their individual neuroses. Finally Ennio decides to publish the notice of Paolo’s disappearance in all the daily papers: that was the signal Paolo was waiting for.