After the Allied landing in Sicily, between the U.S. Army and the Italian Army there is an ancient Roman bridge that both want to blow up; but both Italian and American sappers do their best to not do it. Together, they think an absurd plan to make the invading American division that the Italians surrendered and the War is ended. After they part ways, forty years later the American Lieutenant (now an older college engineer teacher) watches the bridge and prepares to go to theater, because his old same-rank enemy became a conductor and that evening he's gonna direct Giuseppe Verdi Nabucco.