Milton is a young 20 year old university student who has joined the resistance movement, in a "blue" unit (those aligned with the monarchists), following the armistice of September 1943.

During the visit, the elderly housekeeper mentions a relationship between Fulvia and Giorgio, Milton's friend and a fellow partisan, although in a "red" unit (that is, aligned with the communists).

He receives information that near the city where Giorgio is being kept an enemy non-commissioned officer is in a relationship with a woman who lives nearby, and learns the location of their meetings.

Before focussing on the ideological underpinnings of an individual's decision to join the military struggle, attention needs to be paid to the personal demons that animate the consciousness and bear on the minds of the likes of Milton.

"[4] Maria Grazia Di Paolo, who completed the first English translation, regards the novel as the major piece of Fenoglio's mature works.