Two customs officers undercover, Marshal Remo Signorelli and Brigadier Riccardo Riva, try to stop Massimiliano Grilli, a master of evasion. On one occasion, Remo meets his old friend Fulvio who suspected he had an affair with his then girlfriend and now wife.
Two linen fabric dealers with their shops close to one another, battle against each other for more and more costumers. Umberto constantly loses clients because of the tough competition brought by Leone, who offers the best prices in the neighborhood. But they leave differences aside when the rise of Fascism places Anti-Semitic politics which rigidly control business like the one conducted by the Jewish Leone, and those new regulations are viewed by Umberto as completely unfair. The long rivalry soon becomes a great friendship.