Caserta, Southern Italy, in 1976. In order to avoid being drafted, Faustino “Johnny” Ciaramella (Antimino Merolillo), fresh out of school, has to prove he is employed as a guitarist, and is the sole support of his widowed mother (Lina Sastri). But coaxing a contract out of slippery music manager Raffaele Nigro (Ernesto Mahieux) is proving difficult. Faustino plays for a hodgepodge outfit led by alcoholic Mimmo Falasco (Toni Servillo); but suddenly the summer tour comes to an end at Roccamorfina... When faded ’60s bandleader Augusto Riverberi (Fabrizio Bentivoglio) comes to town, Raffaele makes Faustino the maestro’s personal assistant. A little hustling by Raffaele gets Riverberi & Co. a decent gig, so they hire an amateur crooner renamed Jerry Como (Peppe Servillo) and the local beautician Annamaria (Valeria Golino). But Raffaele absconds with the box office, Riverberi returns to Milan, and Faustino is without a contract once more...