The events of the novel start in June 1992.
Colonna, a fifty year-old man, wakes up in the morning and finds that there is no water in his apartment. He goes to his neighbor and asks her whether she knows what the matter is. The woman says that water in her apartment runs as usual and assumes that his tap must have been closed. Colonna does not even know about the existence of such a tap, so she goes to his kitchen and shows where it is. Colonna is extremely terrified finding that it really has been closed. He is sure that some people have been in his place at night looking for some information, and so the water tapping would not wake him up they closed the tap.
The further events are developing to explain who might have got into Colonna’s room, and what they might have been looking for.
Two months before the described events Colonna’s former teacher Simei comes to visit him and offers Colonna a job. A very influential commander wants to start a newspaper with a purpose to manipulate other influential people, and with the help of this newspaper he wants to make his way into the world of even more influential businessmen, politicians and others public people. The newspaper is called “Tomorrow”. Simei is going to be the editor, and the main person in the newspaper, but he suspects that the newspaper is not going to be released. To his opinion the commander will just scare some people for his own benefit and will close the magazine. So he, Simei, wants Colonna to write a book for him about the hard work at the newspaper, and when it is closed the book will be a big success. Colonna agrees.
Some people are hired to work in the newspaper to create an illusion of a real newspaper, but none of these journalists know that their hopes for a good job are groundless, so they work really hard suggesting different topics and themes for articles.
Maia, a thirty year-old woman, is among these pseudo-journalists. Colonna and Maia start an affair, but they do not tell anyone about their relationships.
Another journalist is Braggadocio, a very ambitious person who wants to investigate a real sensation. The topic for his investigation is the death of Benito Mussolini. Braggadocio is sure that real Benito has escaped from Italy, and his double has been killed in the spring of 1945. He finds rather logical proofs and leads his investigation to the end. But one day Colonna comes to the office and learns that Braggadocio has been killed. He is sure that the reason was that he had got too close, and people who did not want this to come out, killed Braggadocio. As Braggadocio told everything to Colonna, he is sure that danger of death threatens him as well.
The newspaper is shut down. Simei says to Colonna that there is no need to write the book, gives him some money and says farewell. After these events Colonna, wakes up and there is no water.
He successfully leaves his apartment and meets with Maia. They leave the city and go to Maia’s little house in the country. There he tells her everything. Few days pass, and a film on BBC is released telling all the events Braggadocio has made an investigation about. As all the truth is opened, and no danger threatens them anymore Colonna and Maia return to Milan.
