Set in Rome in 1944 during the final, desperate months of the German occupation, the story follows Ciccio, a local stone mason and secret agent for the Italian underground resistance. Alongside a local count and American operatives, Ciccio risks his life to smuggle Allied soldiers and military intelligence out of the occupied city. [1, 2]

The stakes drastically shift due to domestic pressure and severe wartime rationing. Ciccio’s fiercely demanding wife, Clementina, remains completely oblivious to his espionage work. Her sole focus is hosting a neighborhood festa to celebrate their daughter's engagement, fiercely demanding that Ciccio secure pasta, wine, and meat in a city where people have already eaten their household pets to survive. 

Desperate to fulfill his domestic duty and secure peace at home, Ciccio makes a disastrous mistake. He slaughters and cooks 36 American Signal Corps carrier pigeons that had been left under his official military supervision. 

Realizing the catastrophic blow this deals to Allied communication networks, Ciccio is forced into a frantic cover-up. To make amends, he orchestrates a daring heist to steal an identical number of German intelligence pigeons. This reckless swap triggers a wave of absolute confusion, cross-communications, and chaos between the German command, the Italian resistance, and the Allied forces.