Lampedusa, east of mainland Sicily - the present day. Grace, the wife of a young fisherman, is an emotionally fragile, excitable and misunderstood woman. The majority of her fellow islanders think she is "over-the-top" and although he is embarrassed by her behaviour, Grazia’s son Pasquale does his best to buffer her against growing pressure by both the community and Grazia’s husband to have her hospitalised in Milan.