Marcel Guzman is an adolescent boy who lives in Bagheria, a small town northwest of Sicily. He is unloved by his father for being different and his sister is married to a man who doesn’t like him. His mother is like an angel but his longing for attention leads him to fall in love with his best friend Sergio who, after an unexpected afternoon, becomes aloof and distant. Marcel spends most of his time locked in his bedroom or sitting at the end of Corso Butera gazing at the dark waters, while struggling with feelings of unease and wondering whether life would be better somewhere else.

With the sudden disappearance of his father, his life takes a different turn and some years later Marcel meets a man who will bring him hope of a new chance for happiness. He leaves the Island behind and settles in Rome where he meets Zelia who will make him wonder what kind of love he is looking for. But his past sufferings continue to haunt him as if he were living in a vicious circle, until life closes around him, in the form of a painful blessing.