Based on the 1987 novel Il Poema dei Lunatici by Ermano Cavazzoni, the film centers on two characters who cross each other's paths: Ivo Salvini, a man who wanders at night hearing the moon's voice and "mooning" over an inane beauty contestant; and Gonella, a retired judge who is put out to pasture but still clings to his faded glory and trampled dignity.