The play tells the story of Rosario, a Maltese fisherman, who, having married a local girl, find himself stranded on the tiny island of Valeriana during the Second World War. The island is under the charge of a despotic fascist podesta named Cirillo. Cirillo suffers from paranoia and illusions of grandeur. He wants to turn Valeriana into an impregnable fortress against the Allied Forces, with dire consequences for the inhabitants.