Francesco Di Nardo, a strictly honest magistrate, has just been transferred to a small town in the South of Italy, where Justice works slow or does not work at all.
The economic life of the whole town is based on the resources of a stone quarry owned by the rich and powerful business man, Mr. Baldassarri.
Although it is State financed, the stone quarry has been closed for months and most of the citizens are now unemployed. Di Nardo suspects foul play on the part of Baldassarri.