Arrested on suspicion of a hit and run, a succesful architect is put in prison awaiting trial or release. Whilst there he witnesses the grim reality of life behind bars: corrupt staff, corrupt inmates, an inhuman judicial system and the power of the Mafia.

Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore is an Italian staged filmmaking of the play of the same name, written by Luigi Pirandello about the relationship between authors, their characters and theater practitioners. The story follows six characters: Il Padre (Romolo Valli), la Figliastra (Rossella Falk), la Madre (Elsa Albani), Il Figlio (Piero Sammataro), la bambina (Patrizia Ponzelli) and Il giovinello(Paolo Figna) that invading a essay by a theater company looking for an author.