The case of Acna at Cengio is not only is a typical hof the period of the economic boom in Italy but of the whole industrialization process of the country: a kind of development exclusively aiming at profit and oblivious to the damage caused to human beings and the environment. Being at the centre of political and industrial interests and anachronistic farmers'arguments, with the battle against the "moloch" that is polluting the river Bormida, this fi lm represents both a call for ecological awareness and a reaffirmation of an unquestionable national identity.