A Chinese in a Coma

The gala night of the "Miss Queen of Hearts" pageant held at a seaside resort is ruined by a sudden violent storm that wrecks the nerves of Ercole Preziosi, the entertainment manager who organized and is hosting the show. The audience is restless and Ercole insults them, then flees in his old Mercedes driven by his 27-year-old Sicilian chauffeur Nicola. In the car, as usual, Nicola tries to soothe Ercole with jokes. Ercole is married to Eva, a Russian woman he met 20 years ago and they have a 17-year-old daughter, Maruska. He loves them very much, but his work keeps him away from home too much, and when he is home, they accuse him of being absent-minded and superficial. Ercole's entertainment agency, "Kings and Queens", has a second-rate choice of artists whose shining star is talented comedian Rudy Sciacca. Ercole has organized a show for the closing night of a business convention and is anxiously waiting for Rudy when he receives a phone call informing him that Rudy is in the hospital after a serious car crash. To save the show, Ercole throws chauffeur Nicola on the stage: unexpectedly, the young man shows some talent and is well-received. Ercole asks him to carry on performing and organizes a tour in small venues and discos. "Nicky Renda" starts to attract press attention as a "sexy-comedian" and Ercole stops working with his other artists to concentrate on his "winning horse". When TV calls, offering Nicky a rich contract, Ercole's presence becomes an embarrassment to the young star, who abandons him. Ercole endures the insult quietly, but when he discovers that Nicky is in a relationship with Maruska, his anger finally explodes.