The Conformist (Il conformista) is a novel by Alberto Moravia published in 1951, which details the life and desire for normality of a government official during Italy's fascist period.

En route, Lino appears to proposition Marcello, offering him a pistol in exchange for unspecified actions.

Lino, who is a former priest de-frocked for indecent behavior, ultimately stops himself before initiating any actions with Marcello.

Marcello is also due to be married to someone named Giulia and offers to have his honeymoon in Paris so that his presence there would not raise suspicions.

Marcello also takes confession, despite his apparent atheism, as a prelude to the Catholic wedding Giulia expects.

In the days leading up to the wedding, Marcello's mother-in-law lavishingly praises him while his mother lives alone in squalor.

En route to Paris, Marcello makes a scheduled stop at a brothel in a small town in France, where he is to meet Orlando for further instructions.

Lina allows Marcello to begin to seduce her but always keeps him at arm's length, even saying that she and Quadri know that he is a Fascist spy.

Marcello's feelings for Lina intensify alongside a growing contempt for her when he sees her attempting to seduce Giulia and realizes that her interest in him is merely for show.

On his trip to Savoy, Quadri – as well as Lina, who left with him in response to Giulia's rejection – is killed by Orlando and his men.

Years later, on the night Mussolini falls from power, Giulia reveals that she has long suspected Marcello's involvement in the murders but is sadder for their safety than for his victims or his duplicity.

The two go out for a drive and walk that evening, and while Giulia tries to convince Marcello to have sex with her in a wooded area, a stranger calls to him by name.

When the natural course of his life presents him with ethical dilemmas - the assignment to betray Professor Quadri, and his attraction to women other than his wife - he is ill-prepared to deal with them.