A Life

Alfonso Nitti, a young intellectual with literary aspirations, leaves his hometown, where he lives with his mother, and moves to Trieste, finding a disheartening job as a banker.
One day, he is invited to the home of the banker Maller, and there he meets Macario, a self-assured young man who becomes Alfonso's friend, and Annetta, Maller's daughter, who is also interested in literature and with whom Alfonso starts a relationship. However, just before marrying her, Alfonso flees in order to start a new life and returns to his hometown, where his already seriously ill mother passes away.
Alfonso then returns to Trieste, convinced that he has discovered his true nature in renunciation and contemplation. Reality, however, turns out differently: he learns that Annetta has become engaged to Macario, and he is consumed by painful jealousy and the hatred of his colleagues. He is given a less important role at work but tries to mend his relationship with the Maller family. Unfortunately, not only does he fail in this endeavor, but he even manages to worsen the situation, uttering phrases that are interpreted as threats. He then writes to Annetta to request a meeting for clarification, but his gesture is misunderstood. When he arrives for the meeting, it's Annetta's brother Federico who confronts him and challenges him to a duel. Alfonso chooses to end his life by inhaling gas, believing that Annetta will finally shed tears at his grave, putting an end to his life as a misfit.