Marcello Marcello Fonte is a small, mild man living in a dilapidated beach settlement in Castel Volturno. He runs a dog grooming shop and splits his days between his work, his daughter, Alida Baldari Calabria, who lives with her mother after their separation, and time spent socializing with other locals. He supplements his meager income by selling cocaine to acquaintances.
One acquaintance is Edoardo Pesce as Simone, a huge and thuggish former boxer who terrorizes the neighborhood. The abusive dynamic becomes clear when Simone forces Marcello to take part in a burglary, since he has a van and can drive. The job goes smoothly, but Marcello overhears Simone describe putting a Chihuahua in the freezer to stop it barking. After collecting his share of the loot, Marcello returns, retrieves the dog, and revives it.
Simone continues to cause havoc, punching a restaurateur and breaking his nose. Some locals discuss steps to take, but no action is taken. Marcello remains silent. Later that night, Simone forces Marcello to get cocaine for him from a supplier without paying for it. Accompanying him, Simone is turned down due to his debts. The thug retaliates by beating the dealer and one of his henchmen, taking a haul of cocaine that they consume together in a strip club. On leaving, Simone is shot by a motorbike rider. Marcello declines hospital and instead takes Simone to his mother, Nunzia Schiano, to tend to him, where Simone and his mother quarrel over the cocaine; her anger stems from his addiction.
One day, Simone discovers that Marcello's shop shares a hollow wall with a cash-for-gold shop and plans to rob it. Marcello tries to dissuade him, as the owner is his friend, but Simone bullies him into giving up the key to his own shop. The next morning, Marcello finds that Simone has carried out the robbery, creating a hole in the wall and implicating Marcello. He is arrested. During questioning, a police officer, Aniello Arena, makes it clear they know Simone is responsible and tries to wring a confession from Marcello, but he refuses and is imprisoned.
One year later, Marcello returns home a pariah, even rejected by his cocaine supplier, and has to rebuild his business. Desperate for money, he tracks down Simone and asks for his share of the robbery (around 10,000 euros), only to find it was spent on a motorbike. Simone only gives him 300 euros. Hardened by prison, Marcello wrecks the bike, and the bully beats him up in public. He then hatches a plan for revenge.
A few days later, Marcello locates Simone again, apologizes for the bike, and suggests they rob some cocaine suppliers meeting at his shop. Simone agrees. When Simone arrives, Marcello orders him to hide inside one of the dog cages and wait for his signal. Simone reluctantly complies, only to be locked in by Marcello, who taunts him. Simone tries to kick the door open, sticks his head out, and Marcello knocks him unconscious with a metal bar. Marcello chains Simone to the wall, duct-tapes his ankles, and binds his hands, then tends to his injury. But Simone grabs Marcello, tries to strangle him, and in the struggle, Marcello kills the bully by lowering the grooming table and strangling him with the chain.
Shocked, Marcello tries to dispose of the body by setting it on fire in a field. He seems to hear his old friends playing football in what might be a hallucination, and shouts that the bully is dead, but there is no response. He then carries the body back to the football field, only to find his friends have left. He eventually moves the corpse to a playground in the main square, hoping someone will notice.
