The film begins on April 25, 1945, marking the liberation of Italy from fascist rule. On a rural estate in Emilia-Romagna, the local peasants are rallying to arrest the landowner, Alfredo Berlinghieri. Amid this turmoil, a fraught middle-aged man, Attila, and a woman named Regina attempt to escape but are thwarted by laborers wielding pitchforks. The story then flashes back to the early 20th century.
On January 27, 1901, the day of renowned composer Giuseppe Verdi’s death, two infants come into the world minutes apart: Alfredo Berlinghieri and Olmo Dalcò. They represent starkly different social backgrounds; Alfredo hails from a wealthy landowning family led by his tyrannical grandfather, Alfredo the Elder (played by Burt Lancaster), while Olmo is the illegitimate son of a peasant girl and the grandson of Leo Dalcò (played by Sterling Hayden), the foreman who skillfully challenges the authority of the landowner without resorting to violence.
As children, Alfredo (portrayed by Paolo Pavesi) resents the deceit of his family, especially his weak father, Giovanni (played by Romolo Valli). During this time, he forms a friendship with Olmo (played by Roberto Maccanti), who is raised with strong socialist ideals. Under the guidance of his grandfather, Leo, Olmo participates in labor strikes against the oppressive conditions imposed on the estate.
The boys enjoy a heartfelt childhood friendship despite their disparities. Tragedy strikes in 1908 when Alfredo’s grandfather takes his own life. Subsequently, Giovanni inherits the estate. Shortly after, Olmo leaves to join a socialist youth group and later enlists in the Italian army during World War I, while Alfredo remains to manage the plantation.
In 1919, Olmo (now portrayed by Gérard Depardieu) returns from war and quickly renews his bond with Alfredo (now Robert De Niro). However, their reunion is overshadowed by the arrival of a sadistic new foreman, Attila Mellanchini (played by Donald Sutherland), a man who embraces fascist ideology following its rise in 1922. Attila treats the Berlinghieri workers with brutal disdain, leaving a trail of violence in his wake.
As the years go by, their personal lives reveal the stark contrasts between Alfredo and Olmo's relationships. In one awkward encounter, their attempt at a romantic encounter is interrupted by a local prostitute’s sudden seizure. However, in 1930, love finds Alfredo when he marries the beautiful Frenchwoman Ada Chiostri Polan (played by Dominique Sanda). Meanwhile, Olmo finds love with Anita (portrayed by Stefania Casini), another socialist aligned with his beliefs. Tragically, Anita dies during childbirth, leaving Olmo as a single father to their daughter, aptly named after her mother, who grows to embody her father's socialist values.
As Olmo becomes a leader in the fight for workers' rights, tensions mount with Attila, whose cruelty escalates. During the frigid winter of 1935, Alfredo, a weak leader, is drawn into a web of despair, unable to confront the injustices occurring on his estate. When Attila and Regina, who share a twisted nature, commit murder and theft, the situation spirals out of control.
By the early 1940s, as World War II intensifies, the villagers, led by Olmo, confront Attila, throwing manure and resisting his oppressive tactics. In a desperate bid for survival, Olmo and his daughter go into hiding. Alfredo, finally breaking free from his passivity, dismisses Attila but discovers that Ada has abandoned him.
As the narrative circles back to April 25, 1945, the climax arrives: Alfredo, captured, stands before a tribunal of workers where Anita the Younger takes on a pivotal role in the trial. Amid accusations of neglect and complicity in suffering inflicted by Attila, Alfredo’s fate hangs in the balance. When Olmo intervenes, highlighting that Alfredo’s social class has been eclipsed by the fall of the old regime, the tide of change takes form.
Ultimately, the film closes on a contemplative note as Alfredo and Olmo, now older, engage in a playful tussle reminiscent of their youth. Fast-forwarding to 1976, we find them walking along an abandoned railway track. In a symbolic act, Alfredo lays down in the path of an approaching train, resembling a childhood game but tinged with a dark desire for finality. The screen fades as the train roars past, leaving viewers to ponder the enduring struggle between the ruling and working classes.
