1942, Italy, at war fighting with the Germans, against the Allied forces. The Allies have vanquished the Germans in Sicily and have invaded the beaches of Sorrento, south of Naples. The city has been destroyed by the powerful eruption of Mount Vesuvius and Allied bombing raids.
A young Italian girl escapes being shot by the Germans when her Puglia village is invaded. Elena struggles alone across the barren foot of Italy to Naples, surviving rape attempts and attacks by feral street children. She finds temporary shelter in a cave outside Naples and tries to move on with her life.
