On the historic backdrop of the vague fascist climate of the 1930s and with a lower-class Venice as its setting, the movie tells the stories of three gangs of schoolboys, each at odds to acquire an old boat, refitted and repainted fiery red by their young friend Cencio. To purchase the boat Cencio is asking a hefty 12,000 “cimbali”, a monetary unit invented at the time by Venetian youths and their peers in various other Italian cities consisting of well-flattened beer and soda bottle caps. Sergio, Franco, Romano and Marco have painfully amassed thousands of “cimbali”, watchfully holding on to them in the “altana” (attic) of their house while aspiring to reach the number needed to purchase their coveted vessel. However, the mysterious invitation to an appointment, flung through Prof. Calimani?s class window, endowed with a classic system of arrows on notebook paper and signed MORCA, incites the boys curiosity. They decide to jump at the adventure. Starting like a small thriller, the boys become caught up in the investigation, just like detectives. But the mysterious MORCA fails to show up at the appointed spot; the boys realize all too soon that they?ve been tricked into leaving their treasure unattended and free to be robbed. The boys are intent on discovering the mastermind behind the hit. Even the professor gets secretly involved, keeping his interest hidden from his students. Who is Morca? Who is the thief? There are many suspects to be considered: the young violinist in the adjacent apartment, Cobra and Spider (the leaders of the rival gangs), or could it even be someone from within their group? While the investigation continues, Cencio sells his boat, refusing to reveal the buyer?s identity. Will the course taken by the boat, tenaciously followed by the determined robbery victims, eventually unveil “The Mystery of MORCA”?