Commendator Riccardo Bolzoni, a wealthy industrialist from the North, finds himself in a dangerous situation due to frequent kidnapping attempts. To protect himself and his family, he decides to move to Martina Franca, a quieter location in the south of Italy. Here, he lives a double life: on the one hand, he disguises himself as a tramp in order to hide his true identity, and on the other, he continues to date his lover and tries to seduce his son Carlo's beautiful English teacher.
He uses the surname Marconcini in the hope that this will keep him safe from any kidnapping attempt. However, his son Carlo is sincerely in love with the English teacher, preferring her to his father. In the course of the story, Commendatore Bolzoni loses his wife, who runs off with his secretary, and his lover, who is fed up with his double life.
Moreover, the English teacher eventually chooses Carlo as her companion, despite the commendatore's attempts to win her over. Despite all the precautions taken to conceal his identity, Commendatore Bolzoni is finally kidnapped, proving that he has not escaped his destiny.