How to convince a death row inmate to face the firing squad with courage, joy and satisfaction.

SYNOPSIS:

The execution of Sandros

Emmanuel, a famous writer touring Sicily in 1875, meets an interesting couple, the former Capuchin Kyriakoulis Chrysospathis and his wife, during a visit to the Greek Consulate in Messina, Sicily. Kyriakoulis recounts the incredible story of Sandros facing the firing squad in Messina.

Sandros is a shy Neapolitan soldier, at the time of the revolutions of 1847, during the reign of Ferdinand the second, of the two Sicilies. In an army camp on the Aspromonte peak, part of the mountain range north of Reggio, Sandros is assigned to be the warden in an outpost with three other disobedient and bad tempered soldiers. The purpose of the outpost is to protect the camp from rebel attacks.

During training in Reggio city, Sandros is kidnapped by rebels, who force him to lead them to the Aspromonte camp through a gorge, in order to carry out an attack. During the ascent, a mudslide occurs which results in the decimation of the rebels. Sandros survives as he manages to hang on to trees. Sandros and his three fellow soldiers are rewarded with a favourable transfer to an outpost in the city of Messina. There, they meet Carla, an eighteen-year-old girl. Lieutenant Alonso, assisted by the three soldiers, enjoys a love affair with Carla, meeting her regularly in the bedroom of the outpost, ostensibly to help her with her studies. Sandros is envious of his lieutenant and his relationship with Carla.

On a short leave from the outpost in the city of Messina, Sandros encounters Gabriella, a drunken girl and leads her to the outpost where he lets her sleep there. Sandros is struck by love at first sight with Gabriella. During an inspecting round, the lieutenant finds Gabriella sleeping in the outpost and punishes Sandros for allowing her to enter the outpost. The lieutenant however is attracted by Gabriella and arranges to meet her at the outpost, in the absence of Sandros. Sandros returns unexpectedly to the outpost and finds the lieutenant making love to Gabriella. In the heat of passion, Sandros kills the lieutenant and is sentenced to death by firing squad. The military leadership is concerned that the cowardice that will be shown by Sandros during the procession through the city for his execution, will damage the reputation of the army of King Ferdinand, in the eyes of the Sicilian people. The appeal to the King to commute the death penalty to life imprisonment, is rejected. Various solutions are studied, such as the poisoning of the convict through his food or when he sleeps, but are rejected because Sandros neither eats nor sleeps due to his grief.

Father Barnabas, the uncle of Kyriakoulis, undertakes to make the convict die heroically. The method of Father Barnabas is absolutely successful, to the satisfaction of the military leadership, but also to the great frustration of Sicilians, who gambled heavily that the convict would collapse in front of the firing squad, overcome by his fear of death.