Caterina in the Big City

The Iacovoni family leaves their hill-country home to move to Giancarlo's birthplace in Rome, hoping the change will secure him a long-sought teaching post. The move unsettles Caterina, and the house becomes tense under unspoken disappointments and fractured trust. The shift marks the first crack in the family’s previously settled life.

Caterina enrolls in a demanding high school program in Rome, setting the stage for a new social battlefield. She quickly becomes aware of rival cliques and the pressure to perform and fit in. The school environment becomes the arena where her loyalties and ambitions will be tested.

Caterina is drawn to Margherita Rossi-Chaillet, the bohemian leader of a left-leaning circle. The two bond over ideas, rallies, and a shared taste for poetry and music, expanding Caterina’s social world. Their meeting sets in motion a closeness that will complicate loyalties.

Margherita and Caterina grow closer through late nights and shared confidences, culminating in a kiss that hints at emerging sexuality or a pact of loyalty. The moment intensifies the fragility of their friendship and the pressure of belonging to a powerful clique. The kiss plants seeds of ambiguity that will haunt Caterina’s choices.

A drunken incident and a tattoo with Margherita’s help sever Caterina’s alliance with her mentor-turned-peer. She is drawn into Daniela Germano’s circle, a world of wealth and exclusive influence. The social shift marks Caterina’s growing disillusionment with sincerity versus performative prestige.

Daniela’s circle exposes a fence of wealth, privilege, and political undercurrents, culminating in a wedding where neo-fascists honor Daniela’s father. Caterina witnesses how ideology and social performance intertwine with status. The atmosphere foregrounds a troubling climate beneath the surface.

Giancarlo secretly passes his manuscript to Margherita to slip to her mother, hoping to rile editorial doors through Caterina’s connections. He clings to the belief that Caterina’s friendships could rescue his stalled career. The plan reveals his willingness to manipulate relationships for personal gain.

Giancarlo has a public misstep on a talk show and is fired after striking a student, forcing him to search for influence elsewhere. He tries the office of Daniela Germano’s father, only to find no easy harbor there. The fall from grace echoes through Caterina’s evolving social map.

Caterina learns that Daniela’s circle does not like her, and a romance with a wealthy boy from that group ends in betrayal. The shattering of trust pushes her toward estrangement and self-questioning. The social alienation deepens the sense that the world she wanted is built on performative walls.

After the betrayal, Caterina lashes out and finds comfort with a neighboring Australian boy who watches their life as a soap opera. He offers a quiet, reassuring presence in the chaos, becoming a mirror for Caterina’s longing for stability. She returns home to a family still immersed in misery.

A conversation between Agata and Fabietto reveals a longing for an escape, with Agata confessing she once wished to leave Giancarlo. Unbeknownst to them, Giancarlo overhears enough to fearfully ride away on his motorcycle. The family later interprets his absence as a form of happiness elsewhere.

As summer arrives, Margherita nudges Caterina toward the conservatory of music, offering a path toward a different future. The Australian friend returns home as his family repairs their bond, leaving Caterina with bittersweet farewells. Caterina quietly admits she would have liked to be his girlfriend if fate allows another chance.

The summer closes with Caterina giving a solo performance at the conservatory, her voice rising with a tentative, mature confidence. The moment functions as a quiet testament to resilience amid family and social turmoil. It suggests a place where Caterina might finally belong, even if the world around her remains unsettled.