During World War II, Italian villagers hide their wine from the German army.

Italo Bombolini, a wine merchant in Santa Vittoria, celebrates news of Mussolini's death in 1945 by painting over an old fascist slogan. This act wins him the post of mayor. He imprisons the fascists as a gesture to the populace and, optimistic that a good government will work, reads Machiavelli's The Prince and forms a grand council. Soon Italo's son-in-law rushes into town with news that the retreating Germans are headed toward Santa Vittoria, intending to occupy the town and commandeer the wine supply, Santa Vittoria's chief source of wealth. Italo takes it upon himself to save the wine and commands the townspeople to form a "bucket brigade" to transport 1 million bottles to an old Roman cave just outside of town. The villagers complete their task just before the Germans, led by Captain Sepp von Prum, arrive and begin to look for the wine they know exists. Italo allows them to find a small cache of a few thousand bottles and the Germans decide to confiscate half. The SS arrives and informs von Prum that there is a great deal more than a few thousand bottles. Von Prum tries various means of obtaining the wine, but none work. Finally, von Prum and his men are ordered to leave. Von Prum, in a last attempt, puts a gun to Italo's head and asks the townspeople for information about the wine; no one comes forward. Von Prum admits defeat and departs, respectful of the man he had thought of as a buffoon.