Gino and Maria, two young lovers, say goodbye before he leaves for the war, during which he will be taken prisoner. Coming home after the end of the war, Gino finds it hard to recognize his city of Milan, ruined materially as well as morally. He learns that his girlfriend, believing him dead, has married a rich man and is now the mother of a child. After trying in vain to find an honest job, Gino gets closer to Gip, a shady trafficker whom he believes has saved him from an attack. Gip also introduces him to the entertainer Juliette and a mutual love grows between the two. Soon, the desire to offer her a better life leads the veteran to join in a coup organized by the Gip. It involves kidnapping a child and demanding a large ransom from the parents. Too late, Gino learns from Juliette that the child in question is the son of his ex-girlfriend Maria. Repentant, he warns Maria, allowing the police to set a trap for the kidnappers. Gip, seeing himself betrayed, shoots Gino, wounding him, before being killed by the policemen.