Palermo, Sicily, 1984. Examining magistrate Giovanni Falcone allies with Tomasso Buscetta, a former mobster, to defeat the clan of Corleone, the ruthless Mafia faction that rules Cosa Nostra with an iron hand, cruelly eliminating all those who dare to oppose its immense power: other criminals, policemen, judges, even innocent civilians. One of them wants revenge, the other wants justice. But only one can survive such an unequal fight.

Francesco is an entrepreneur in the building industry. His company is near to collapse if it doesn't win a deal to build a new school complex. It needs at least 60 million liras to participate to the deal, but all the banks refuse to lend the money. A corrupt bank employee introduces him to Claudio, apparently an assistant of Sergio, Francesco's old school friend. Sergio is an accountant available to lend Francesco the money he needs. Francesco wins the deal, but soon he discovers that Claudio is not what he says.