Sabina leads a relatively ordinary life, finding satisfaction in her career as a dubbing actress and in her relationship with Franco, an actor facing a lack of work who reluctantly takes a job in a television series directed by the talented but disillusioned director, Andrea Negri.

Subsequently, she begins experiencing terrifying nightmares and confides in Emilia, her closest friend, who is blind due to a degenerative disease.

Instead, she decides to spend the Christmas holidays with her older brother, Daniele, who teaches literature at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, United States.

However, it's not until New Year's Eve, when Franco cheats on her with Anita, an actress from the series, that Daniele reveals the traumatic truth of their childhood: their father had abused them, with the silent consent of their mother.

In America, Daniele vows to visit Sabina and his namesake nephew, optimistic that they will both overcome their past traumas and lead fulfilling lives.

The website's critical consensus states, "As well-intentioned as it is heavy-handed, Don't Tell mishandles a worthy subject with a meandering and melodramatic story.