Martin is a self-taught proletarian with artistic aspirations who hopes that his dreams of becoming a writer will help him rise above his station and marry a wealthy young university student. His dissatisfactions of working-class toil and bourgeois success lead to political awakening.

Luca Marinelli won Best Actor at Venice for this beguilingly romantic study in class and political evolution. With indefatigable stylistic energy, director Pietro Marcello transposes Jack London’s autobiographical novel to the streets of Naples, forging a rich, panoramic metaphor for modern society.