Synopsis:

This is the story of a courageous woman,
who, having left home very young with
the desire to educate herself, starts work
in the rice fields, where she falls in love
with Paride, a young trade unionist who
takes her to Padua with him. Here she
finds work in the Tarlazzi factory, where, during a worker's protest, Paride
dies, leaving Emma alone and pregnant. Emma fearing that she may lose her job
and having decided to keep the child of the man she loved, sets off for Villa
Tarlazzi to speak with her employer. Here she meets Giacomo, the Tarlazzi heir,
who falls in love with the young woman and unexpectedly marries her, against the will of his mother, undertaking the
paternity of the child Doris, who is born 7
months later.
Emma has not forgotten Paride but also
learns to love Giacomo, even though he
has hidden his latent homosexuality
from all, only to come out in a relationship
with the Count Leandro. Following
the bitter discovery, Emma and
Giacomo decide to stay together, and
while Emma attempts to overcome the
death of a dear friend, Giacomo enters
into politics. When the cook’s son,
Rocco, reveals his love for Emma, the
two embark upon a short but disastrous
affair, which ends when Emma takes his
life after he threatens to reveal the
secrets which have marked her life:
Emma ends up in prison and Giacomo
leaves for England with Doris…