Nello Balocchi, a thirty-five-year-old teacher of Greek and Latin, is invited to Bologna by his father, the owner of the Papal tailor's shop in Rome. His father hopes Nello will find a soulmate in Bolgna and thus produce an heir for the business. Nello stays in a guesthouse run by Arabella, a wise woman who already knows all about his situation. He shares a room with Domenico, a crafty barber from Naples. After several unsuccessful efforts, Nello meets Angela, an exuberant, beautiful young blind girl with whom he falls hopelessly in love. The girl's father and Nello's parents do not approve of the relationship, but the real problem is Angela's temperament.