Bar and dairy-shop "Santos" in Ostuni, Puglia. Saturday, 8.15 P.M. In front of the old TV set, the owner of the bar, Michele Caldarulo, watches the drawing of the Lottery. Together with his three longtime friends, Emilio Potito, Mario Sapone and Giuseppe Tenace, he discovers they have drawn the winning combination of numbers at the "Superenalotto".
The four friends together with Antonio Nunziante, who's not with them at that moment, have been betting on the same six numbers for weeks, in the hope of winning and solving all of their problems with money. Luck has finally arrived, called out through prayers and foul talk: the men are the winners of the 78 billion liras prize.
In state of shock, they arrive in an isolated country road and destroy an old Cinquecento car. They are certain all of their dreams will come true now, but when they look for the winning ticket receipt, they realise this must be in the hands of their absent partner Antonio. The friends immediately set off in search of Antonio, with the subtle fear that he is trying to swindle them.
During the journey they discover a lot of unexpected things about Antonio, an ex-soccer player with a complicated yet exciting life. The friends realise how drab their lives are in comparison. But they are determinated to find Antonio and, at last, they find him in Milan, where he has a ten-year-old son he rarely sees.
Assaulted and accused, Antonio is stunned and doesn't know what his friends are talking about. Then, when he understands he has the winning Lottery ticket in his pocket, he falls, breathless, with his friends around him...