Alberto Colombo is an oil engineer, married to career-conscious Margherita.
Their life is monotonous. She doesn't want to have children, but he won't give up the idea. One day the boss calls Alberto into his office: he's to be sent abroad on a pointless mission which is clearly the prelude to being made redundant permanently.
Leaving behind his frustrated wife, Alberto sets off alone for Melancias, a remote country which has already swallowed up many of his colleagues in the not so distant past...
In actual fact, Melancias possesses some more or less pleasant secrets, which will be revealed to Alberto Colombo by Christian, the sole survivor in that place on the furthest edge of the known world. Back in Italy, his wife has time to realise the futility of her career-driven existence, to respond to the advances of an enterprising colleague and to reassess her relationship with the distant husband she had written off as dried-up and decrepit.
Nine long months go by, during which Alberto Colombo puts together a string of remarkable successes...
Nine months is a long time, enough for a new life to be born, enough for a life to be radically altered.
On his return to Italy, there are a few surprises awaiting Alberto. The biggest is to find his wife both in love with him and ready to follow him to the end of the world.
Even to Melancias, land of milk and honey, where Alberto is sent once again, this time with triple the salary and all the trappings of a winner. Colombo is ready to faint at the mere thought of going back...
Margherita is ready with the necessary encouragement to make him think it over, but Melancias has yet more surprises in store for both of them...