Naples, 1847. Maria and her two daughters, Carolina and Antonia, earn their living as street hustlers with the girls' father, Iginio Cuoio. When the man discovers Antonia's singing audition, which could lead her to tread the stages of Milan's most prestigious theaters, he punishes Maria and his daughter, shattering their dream. But Carolina goes beyond herself, determined to fulfill Antonia's aspiration and save her mother and sister from the misery in which they live, risking, despite herself, losing her great love, Saverio.