Three best friends start a life of crime in the isolated Aspromonte Mountains in southern Calabria, Italy, to escape the poverty of their upbringing. The local mob lord assassinated Brainy Luciano's postman father when he was a little child, leaving him an orphan. Luigi, a joyful and lazy character, has discovered that following the rules is useless. The third member of the trio is the unnamed narrator, whose dark spirit provides the motivation and drive for every new criminal endeavour, including kidnapping, armed robbery, heroin peddling, and contract killing.