Set in a small Sicilian town, the story follows a Carabinieri chief investigating a murder, hampered by the deep-seated presence of the Mafia that perpetuates a culture of silence.

Don Mariano and his acolytes spread rumours that Rosa's husband had shot Colasberna for having an affair with his wife and went into hiding to escape an arrest.

[1] The film was a box office hit in Italy, which led to producers Ermanno Donati and Luigi Carpentieri to green-light the adaptation of another Sciascia novel they had purchased, The Day of the Owl.

"[1] Pirro and Damiani retained the book's famous line where the character of Don Mariano splits humanity into five categories: "men, half-men, pigmies, arse-crawlers, and quackers.

[1] On the film's initial release, it was labelled as forbidden to minors by the Board of Censors who declared it was banned due to frequent use of profanity, its "harsh and corrosive criticism of institutions" and a lack of a happy ending.

of Variety referred to the film as "a skillfully-made, well-acted picture-blending social satire dramatic intensity and comic localisms, that should draw and hold audiences in all markets.

went on to state that three factors enhanced the film: the original novel by Leonardo Sciascia, the adaptation by Ugo Pirro and "Lee J. Cobb's outstanding performance, unsuspected thesping by Claudia Cardinale and a credible attempt from Franco Nero in a part calling for a more mature actor.