At the end of World War II, Aldo of the San Frediano neighbourhood is given credit for the eroic act of Gianfranco, who is captured by the Germans for what he has done. Making the most of the mix-up, Aldo courts a whole series of neighbour girls. Gianfranco returns, but he promises to keep the secret. Finally the girls, fed up with Aldo's ways, unmake him, ending his life as a hero. Then a building collapse gives Aldo the chance to become a real hero and to learn whom he really loves.