Mimi, a Sicilian laborer, refuses to vote for the Mafia's candidate and consequently loses his job, his wife, and his home. He revives his spirits by falling in love with the beautiful radical Fiorella, with whom he starts a new life. But the past comes back to haunt him, piling on comical complexities as all his energies surge into defending his honor--an obsession that has horrendous but hilarious consequences.