An old Sicilian proverb, "You can force someone to cry but not to sing," sets the stage for Manera's dramatic story of a sophisticated Mafia-connected businessman. Don Pasquale seeks fame and fortune through his inside track on a five-billion-euro project. He lives with his beautiful and jealous wife Donna Rosa in a palatial Renaissance-style villa, lavishly supplied with contemporary art, where he finds inspiration from books such as Machiavelli's The Prince and Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal.

After rival Mafia boss Rizzo is assassinated, Don Pasquale expects smooth sailing. Still, he's concerned by a mysterious warning from his boyhood friend Inspector Bellini. "Isn't it amazing how peaceful Etna is most of the time? Yet, even when a mantle of snow covers its peak, there could be a devastating eruption."