Vittorio has a lovely wife, two splendid children, a beautiful home, ambitions achieved with commitment, sacrifice, and deep moral conviction. As an assistant surgeon for a private clinic, Vittorio is not only an excellent doctor, but also prides himself in being an equally good husband and father. Unfortunately, little does he suspect that some of the workings behind this apparently smooth running family are inexorably about to jam. His fifteen-year-old daughter Martina has serious problems at school with the youngsters who make fun of her intense friendship with one of her girlfriends. Matteo, eleven, spends hours at the computer where, in a video game that simulates a family, he finds a virtual one to substitute for his own. Vittorio's wife, Lisa, is the first to notice the almost imperceptible cracks in the family façade. And ever so discreetly, she sets about putting the lives of her loved ones back on the track of order and harmony. The sudden news that Vittorio's parents are about to leave on a trip takes the family by surprise. Not only do his parents entrust Vittorio with a gun, they also ask him to take in his thirty-year-old brother, Andrea, for a short while. Like a bolt of lightening across a starry sky. Vittorio and Andrea are brothers only by birth. They are in fact almost total strangers to each other. Not only the difference in their ages comes between them, but more importantly, their entire lives have been lived in totally opposite ways. Andrea has just been released from a rehabilitation centre for drug addicts, his life marked by dramatic experiences. During the three years he was under treatment, Vittorio never went to see his brother once.
When Vittorio and Andrea first meet, the two are extremely moved though they do not reveal their emotions. Neither are used to showing their true feelings. This is perhaps the only thing the two brothers, in fact, do have in common. There are many – too many – things that come between them, and neither is willing to even yield slightly, to put aside grudges or prejudices. And Vittorio is determined to do everything in his power to "protect the normality" of his family. A normal façade, however, that hides a deep secret...