The disappearance of her old friend, Lila Cerrullo, causes 60-year-old author Elena Greco to reflect on the early days of their friendship in 1950s Naples, when Elena and Lila are two very different girls at the top of their class. When the girls discover the lair of Don Achille, a criminal figure who controls the neighborhood, they decide to confront him.

As fourth grade draws to an end, Elena and Lila fight with their families for the chance to continue their education. Later, a trip out of town becomes a day Elena will never forget, and a death changes things in the neighborhood forever.

Now a teenager, Elena grapples with the onset of puberty, her studies, and her friendship with Lila, who now works in her family's shoe-repair store. After a library awards ceremony reveals what Lila has been keeping secret, Elena learns what her friend's grand plans might be. Lila takes a stand against the dangerous Solara brothers.

With graduation in sight, Elena is overwhelmed by memories of her past and copes by drafting her first novel. Meanwhile, she finds a new suitor in Pietro Airota, the son of an esteemed academic. After Pietro proposes, Elena entrusts him with her manuscript before heading back to Naples, where she reunites with her family and visits Ada, who updates her on the tempestuous events she's missed. Upon receiving some unexpected good news, she sets out to find Lila, whose circumstances have seen a dramatic change.

After a tense argument about plans for a family, Elena and Pietro marry in town hall, and later, are surprised with a reception organized by Adele. Though she had hoped to concentrate on her next book, Elena gives birth to a daughter and struggles to find time to write.

On holiday, Elena grows increasingly exasperated with Gennaro and after receiving shocking news about her sister Elisa, she cuts the family trip short to travel back to Naples. Later, tensions mount at a dinner with the Solaras, and Pietro shares his unvarnished opinion of Lila with Elena.