Giancinto Fronteddu, a young Sardinian shepherd and involuntary witness to a kidnapping, is killed. His brother Istévene, a steelworker living in Milan, returns for the funeral to discover that both his parents and the rest of the town expect him to seek a “traditional” revenge in blood. Perplexed and indecisive, Istévene is also pushed toward homicide by Giovannangela, an old flame, and by her brother Maineddu, a big fish in the Sassari mob.