In post-war Rome, a city torn between its newfound liberation and the miserable aftermath of the war, Delia is seemingly resigned to her traditional role of wife and mother. 
Her husband Ivano is the undisputed master of the family. Delia sees her daughter Marcella’s engagement to her middle-class boyfriend Giulio, as Marcella’s chance to avoid the same fate as her. 
Everything suddenly changes when a mysterious letter arrives and fires up Delia’s courage to overturn convention and start wishing for a better life – and not just for herself.