In 1630 with the plague raging in Milan, the Health Commissioner of the Porta Ticinese neighborhood, Guglielmo Piazza, is accused of spreading the contamination. His accusers are two half-witted women who misinterpret his gesture of having “greased” the walls lining a street. Piazza is arrested; he proclaims himself innocent until overcome by torture. Placing his hope in the elusive impunity promised him, he not only confesses his guilt but also accuses an unfortunate barber, Giacomo Mora, of being his accomplice, claiming to have bought the plague-spreading liniment from him. After undergoing his own torture, the barber submits as well. Counting on taking advantage of the immunity of the powerful, the two try to get a noble Spaniard involved in their trial in a last-ditch effort to save themselves. The powerful man is exonerated, however, while the unfortunate Mora and Piazza are burned alive after having crossed the city tied to a wagon and having had their right hands mutilated and their bones crushed. Mora?s house is demolished and in its place the authorities erect the so-called “Pillar of Infamy” as a timeless reminder of the iniquities of the two “plague-spreaders”.