Giovanna, a recently retired high school teacher, is a gentle yet determined woman, naturally inclined towards goodness. At school, she is missed by everyone, having always dedicated herself to both students and colleagues. Now she fills her mornings volunteering at the city’s dog shelter; she then devotes herself to her friends and a rather grumpy elderly neighbor; finally, she offers free lessons to former students or the lively attendees of the university for the elderly. At the shelter, it is the old animals that capture her attention, those that no one gives a glance, and she takes them on long walks. Giovanna has especially bonded with Serena, a dog about whom little is known, cautious and fearful, and she tries in every way to win her trust, multiplying gestures of affection. But this comforting stability is shaken by some unexpected circumstances, and the projects in which Giovanna has invested herself more deeply twist into missed opportunities, filled with regrets, disappointments, and resentments. At that point, her life will take a surprising turn. With enveloping prose and a gentle gaze, Claudio Morandini tells us how difficult the daily exercise of kindness is in an increasingly deaf and lost world.