Like a Cat on a Highway

Giovanni returns from Brussels to find that his 13-year-old daughter Agnese is dating Alessio from Bastogi. He worries aloud about the widening gap between Agnese's elite world and his policy work on the lives of the poor. The discovery forces him to rethink how to protect her without pushing her away.

Monica confronts Giovanni when he follows Agnese to Alessio's neighborhood. In a flash of anger she smashes his windshield with a baseball bat, signaling how volatile the cross-class tension has become. The incident leaves both sides on edge and foreshadows the uneasy alliance to come.

To keep Agnese and Alessio apart, Giovanni tries to dissuade her from the relationship and begins courting Monica as a potential ally. He envisions an uneasy truce between their two worlds and a mutual stake in the children's futures. The plan marks the start of a dangerous, unlikely partnership.

Giovanni and Monica start dating and begin meeting each other’s families. The cross-cultural romance tethers their separate lives, drawing Agnese and Alessio into a tense, growing network. Both sides test how far they can trust the other as their personal boundaries blur.

Monica invites Giovanni and Agnese for a day at her favorite Coccia di morto beach. They spend time in the rough but lively seaside setting, where class differences surface in small ways. The outing broadens the initial romance into something more complicated.

Giovanni reciprocates by inviting Monica and Alessio to his quieter Capalbio beach. The retreat gives each side a chance to compare their worlds away from the city, and they feel out of place in the other's environment. The trip underscores how hard it is for love to bridge social divides.

Luce returns from France and joins a family lunch at Monica's home, only to be interrupted by Sergio's sudden appearance. Sergio has just been pardoned and released, and he promptly disparages Giovanni's and Luce's professions. The confrontation amplifies the cultural clashes within the blended families.

Luce is shocked by the sight of her daughter in such company and fuels Giovanni's doubts about Alessio's family. The tensions explode during the lunch, and Alessio and Agnese break up. After the quarrel, both families retreat into their own circles.

Monica, who sided with Sergio during the lunch, begins to recognize some truth in Giovanni's criticisms. When Sergio ends up back in jail, she starts to look into EU funding as a means to improve their situation. The personal conflict begins to intersect with the financial plan.

Giovanni travels to Brussels to secure the disbursement of the funds for the experiment. The trip tests his resolve and political acumen as he seeks a breakthrough for the project. The outcome will shape the future of the families involved.

During his address to the European Commission, he abandons his prepared speech and speaks from the heart about how hard it is for people living in poverty to make ends meet. His blunt, empathetic delivery reframes the project in human terms. The moment cements his transformation from policy wonk to advocate.

Monica uses the funding to start a pizzeria with her Bengalese neighbor, giving Pamela and Sue Ellen the job of delivering the pizzas. The venture turns the funding into a tangible business in the community. The whole operation demonstrates a practical, if imperfect, collaboration across social divides.

One evening Monica personally delivers a pizza downtown, and the delivery is for her and Giovanni. They sit on a bench in Piazza Cavour, sharing a quiet moment amid the bustle of the city. They reflect that their affair could last as long as a cat on a highway.