In a sparse and inhospitable land, the policeman Enzo Vitello, a man with a dark past, is obsessed with "Dostoyevsky", a serial killer whom he kills with a peculiarity: next to the body, the murderer always leaves a letter with his desolate and very clear vision of the world, of life and darkness that Vitello hears resonating in him.

Three middle school parents are summoned by the principal after their children are implicated in a serious incident. In the gym, transformed into an impromptu courtroom, they wage a fierce battle of denials and obfuscations to suppress the truth.