At the end of the 19th century, in a small village in the Apennines, in a house lost in the middle of a valley, live Alessandro and Pietro, two very different but very close brothers. The two children, aged eleven and thirteen, carefree and full of energy, live like two wild animals, always getting into trouble and spending their days racing carts, diving into the river, and stealing from the cellar. When their mother dies, their father sells his last possessions to buy his sons two beautiful, untamed foals, Baio and Sauro. As adults, while Alessandro feels a growing desire to cross the mountains and go far away, Pietro wants to become a breeder and live with Veronica, the girl he loves.

In a neighborhood on the outskirts of Rome the crime, drugs and graffiti are pervasive. A large apartment complex seems to be a prison for the inhabitants. Marco returns to the hood after serving time in prison for dealing drugs but he's rejected and abandoned by his wife. His old friends still want him to deal cocaine for them. At first he's reluctant but it seems to be all he knows to do. Faustino, Massimo and Federico are delinquents who hang out together while doing drugs, petty crime, and looking for sex. Sonia is different from the rest because she studies and works all the time but even Sonia won't escape without being a victim. A tragic incident brings the main characters together and leaves behind a trail of fire, blood and violence.