Story of a doctor, vet, Colonel of the Army (Tognazzi) who starts screaming anarchist and antimilitarist phrases in his sleep; because of his fitful sleep, he must sleep standing up. Now on the threshold of retirement, after a number of denied promotions because his brother is an anarchist, he is transferred to a "teaching hospital" in Florence. When his "frenemy" is promoted to the rank of General, the Colonel decides to write a book about his army career and reveal the many "contradictions" of the army during the war. This document alarms superiors who want to prevent its publication, which would cause serious image damage, so they offer him his desired promotion in exchange for his silence.