Adapted from a 1909 novel by Jack London yet set in a provocatively unspecified moment in Italy's history, this is a passionate and enthralling story in the tradition of great Italian classics. Martin is a self-taught proletarian with artistic aspirations who hopes that his dreams of becoming a writer will help him rise above his station and marry a wealthy university student. The dissatisfactions of working-class toil and bourgeois success lead to political awakening and destructive anxiety.