My Brilliant Friend

Based on "Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay", the third book in author Elena Ferrante's quadrilogy.

Enzo and Pasquale, Elena's childhood friends get her in the middle of the night to go to Lila who's sick in bed. Lila tells her how she reached that state.

Elena decides she's going to help Lila and takes her to doctors. Elena start writing in the newspaper about the rough state of the laborers. Lila decides to return to the neighborhood though it is a call for trouble.

Elena and Lila face difficulties obtaining prescriptions for the contraceptive pill. Adele surprises Elena with an unexpected reception on her wedding day.

Elena embraces the feminist cause and has a disagreement with Pietro about it. Pasquale and Nadia arrive unexpectedly at Elena's home in Florence. They are dirty, rude, and neglected. Pasquale relates to Pietro with hostility. After their departure Pietro and Elena quarrel: he doesn't want something like that to happen again.

On holiday, little Gennaro often quarrels with Elena's daughters, she remains tolerant until she catches them playing doctor. In a phone call with Lila, Elena learns that her sister Elisa is dating Marcello Solara. Baffled, she travels to Naples to discuss the matter with her in person.

Franco and Silvia's trauma gets Elena to write again. Nino comes to Florence and meets Elena and her family. Elena is enchanted with Nino again.

Elena and Pietro meet Nino's family. Nino gives Elena his feedback on the manuscript, when he discovers that Pietro has not read it he shows hostility towards her, but in a veiled and underhanded way. Pietro's reaction to Nino's passive-aggressive attacks only confirms Elena's doubts about her husband.