A gripping and chilling thriller that brings us to a hazy mountain village where an enigmatic detective is investigating the sudden disappearance of fifteen-year-old girl.

Eleven-year-old outsider Stephan arrives at Castle Schreckenstein, an all-boys boarding school, where he learns about life within a community and soon finds himself being part of a funny 'pranks-competition' the boys are currently fighting against the neighboring girls of Castle Rosenfels. When the girls have no choice but to move to Schreckenstein after a failed prank, life at school is suddenly nothing like it used to be...

Director Maurizio Nichetti is invited on TV to introduce a screening of his neo-realist classic 'The Icicle Thief'. He is horrified to discover that his black-and-white tale of life in poverty is constantly interrupted by garish color commercials, and even more horrified when a power cut in the studio causes film and commercials to mix up – a glamorous model finds herself in the arms of an unemployed pauper, while his wife finds herself in consumers' heaven. Nichetti has to break into the film to try to sort everything out.

Maurizio wakes up after sleeping for twenty years and goes to live with his cousin Carlina, who shares her apartment with two other women: one an actress, the other unemployed.