In 1941 an Italian regiment known as the Savoy Cavalry is sent by Mussolini to Russia to assist the German invasion. After crossing an extensive area of Soviet territory the men arrive at a village that seems deserted. A patrol sent on reconnaissance comes under machine-gun fire from the top of a bell-tower.
Italian naval secret agents acquire a British codebook and the Italian counter-espionage agents start tracking enemy agents working undercover in Italy and providing false information.
The love story between Don Camillo's protégé and Don Violante's niece adds fuel to the rivalry between the two priests.
