In a contemporary Rome stricken by a series of terrorist attacks, Enzo Ceccotti is a thief who lives in Rome's slum, Tor Bella Monaca. One day, he is chased by two policemen for stealing a wristwatch, and in order to escape from them he jumps into the Tiber. When Enzo tries to get out, he comes into contact with radioactive waste after he accidentally breaks a submerge barrel. Spending a night of fever, vomiting and cold chills, he wakes up in the morning totally healed, albeit with a persistent cough.