Expelled from the ranks of the Italian Communist Party in 1932 for having expressed democratic ideas concerning the running of the organization, Emilio is recovered in Paris by means of conversations with Teresa, Resta and other companions. Therefore, in 1934 he is sent to Turin with the objective of getting in contact with the local executive branch. Fleeing hastily after he believes to have fallen into a trap, Emilio returns with the specific intent of unveiling the would-be traitor. He encounters Libero on the Superga hillside, Tommaso at the Valentino and Giacomo at the Egyptian Museum, but the fascist police fail to show up. His suspicions then fall undeniably on Gavino Pintus, the only member of the Turin branch brought up to date on the possible existence of a fifth column. At this point the OVRA (fascist police), having followed Emilio step by step in Italy and abroad, tightens its net and imprisons the five protagonists. Emilio nonetheless refuses to collaborate with the oppressors and, accepting a 25-year jail sentence, he consoles himself with the conviction of having helped purify the Party through personal sacrifice.