Due to their dire economic circumstances, Salvatore and Concetta cannot get married, nor can they afford to have her mother's blindness operated on. To remedy the situation, the woman decides to leave with her brother Nino for the United States to ask a wealthy aunt for help. Before leaving, Concetta swears eternal fidelity to Salvatore. But after a while, the man has no news from her. He then leaves for the United States, where he discovers that Concetta has broken their pact by marrying a mafia boss.