Michele is married to Laura. They have two children. His family is the only thing of any real value to him. Michele gets on particularly well with Angelo, a trade representative who is a few years older than him. Angelo's pragmatism works like a sedative on Michele's hypersensitive disposition, counteracting the latter's fears. Over the course of time, Michele gradually begins to sense signals, and the world around him changes. Simple, constantly repeating events in his everyday life now appear to have a complicated and secretive meaning. Michele becomes a different person. The world has changed in a radical way in his eyes. The streets, the shops he visits during work, the bars and the restaurants all fill with ghosts. In the end he is convinced that there is only one way out for himself and his family: self-destruction.