In the mid 1800's, in the last years of the Bourbon reign in Sicily, and on the eve of Italian reunification, the funeral of Princess Teresa brings together the members of the Uzeda family, descendents of the Viceroys of Spain. Through the eyes of a boy, Consalvo, the last heir to the Uzeda dynasty, the mysteries, intrigues and complex personalities of the other family members, all prey to grand obsessions and passions, are brought to light. Constantly at each other's throats, the Uzeda fight over the inheritance of the Princess who has just passed away, each searching to satisfy his or her contrasting desires. Little Consalvo grows up in a family always at war, ruled over by a domineering father whom the boy desperately seeks to break away from. But to survive, he winds up paying a very high price: he becomes just like the other Uzeda.