Renzo Tramaglino and Lucia Mondella are two poor farmers who are in love, but they are hampered by the wickedness of the powerful Don Rodrigo, who secretly loves Lucia. The two run away from Lake Como where they live, and take refuge inland.

The 19-year-old Elena, who is as pretty as she is bright, works as a rice girl for the landlord Guerrini. Having become aware of her name, he finds out that she is his illegitimate daughter of whom he knew nothing. He tries to secretly help Elena, who has fallen in love with the car mechanic Gianni. But that only creates mistrust. When Guerrini's worthless nephew harasses the girl, the situation is dramatically worse.

A funeral lamentation is sung by women in a dialect so old that it came from the ancient Greeks who once colonized in that part of southern Italy.