 Grazia (Golino) is a mother of three who spends suffocating days packing fish while her husband Pietro (Amato) is at sea. Her oft-erratic behavior leads Pietro into thinking she may need medical attention, and he prepares to send her off to a psychiatric institute in Milan. Their son Pasquale (Casisa), the one person who understand his mother the most, vows to do whatever it takes to foil his father s plan.