Sicilian opera lover Matteo Scuro (Marcello Mastroianni) is a retired bureaucrat who wants to have a family reunion. When most of his adult children (Valeria Cavalli, Marino Cenna, Norma Martelli, Roberto Nobile) cancel their trip to Sicily, Matteo decides to take the train to them. On each visit to a different part of Italy, he learns about the lies that his family has been telling him, including a significant one about his missing son, Alvaro (Salvatore Cascio).