Ines Lacchini is a well-to-do and spoiled young woman. When she meets Lieutenant Carlo Dalla Costa, she believes she has found the love of her life. She abandons any intention of rebelling against conventions and begins an epistolary relationship with him. Soon, however, she realizes that she leads a monotonous and dull existence, always waiting for a letter from Carlo. But the letters are few and far between, and instead the avenue to Villa Ambra becomes for her and the postman a place to meet and exchange confidences. To pass the time, Ines works as a volunteer at a charitable institute where she sees the suffering of the women she cares for every day. Yet nothing seems to make her happy, even more so when some unmentionable family secrets come to the surface and the specter of poverty appears at her door. There are two men she believes she can still count on: one is self-confident and opportunistic and the other is honest and trustworthy. But the choice is not easy because the shadow of war looms over everyone's heads and she will have to free herself from what keeps her tied to the past to start all over again.