My Brilliant Friend

The disappearance of her old friend Lila causes author Elena to look back on the early days of their friendship during the 1950s in Naples, when they were two drastically different girls at the top of their class.

Elena and Lila fight to continue their education; a death changes things in the neighborhood forever.

Now teens, Elena and Lila struggle to connect as their futures diverge.

Dissolving Margins: Elena enters high school as Lila ignores her many suitors.

Elena grows tired of Gino, while Lila rejects two potential suitors at a cost; a rare outing into the city turns violent; Elena worries about not being there for Lila after accepting an invitation to spend the summer away from the neighborhood.

On the island of Ischia, Elena runs into the Sarratore family, reigniting her childhood crush on Nino; Lila's resistance to Marcello's pressing courtship reaches a breaking point; an unexpected encounter leaves Elena shaken on her 15th birthday.

Elena returns to Naples and finds out that Lila is romantically involved with Stefano, despite Marcello's advances. While Lila embraces that luxurious lifestyle Elena decides to reciprocate romantic advances.

The shoe sales are slow, so Stefano makes a deal with the Solares despite Lila's objections. Elena is thrown out of class for expressing her mind, she writes an article about that. Lila's wedding day arrives.

Lenu and Lila continue their lives in different path: Lila works in the shoe store and Elena returns to school.

Antonio is mad as Lenu for trying to stop his draft to the army. Stefano hits Lila and opens his heart to Lenu. Lila is mad at Lenu for trying to reconcile Stefano and her.

Lila invests her energy into the grocery store, even on the expense of her health - But she refuses to have her photo in the shoe store. Elena is invited to a party at her teacher's home and Lila wants to join her.

On Lila's request, Lenu joins her and Pinuccia at Ischia for the summer. They meet Nino Sarratore, and both are attracted to him.

Lila and Nino get dangerously close to each other during the summer vacation in Ischia. This breaks Lenu's heart, feeling twice betrayed.

Following the vacation in Ischia Elena disconnects from Lila and Nino. Lila decides she cannot go on with her life, so she leaves Stefano and moves in with Nino. Elena travels to Pisa for her university studies. Antonio returns broken from him military service and looks for work.

Elena enjoys her life as a student in Pisa. When she is sick she reads the notebooks Lila gave her during her visit to Naples, and learns what Lila has gone through during the years.

Elena graduates university, meets a man from a nice family and returns to Naples. When she returns home she is told that Lila left home with her son. While in Pisa Elena wrote a novel based on her life.

After Nino's appearance in Milan and a scathing review, Elena questions her feelings for her fiancé Pietro and her skills as a writer. Elena's future mother-in-law, Adele, is very impressed by Nino and invites him to have dinner with them.

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 marries Pietro, but is unhappy: she gets pregnant and feels trapped at home and unable to write.

Elena and Pietro's relationship continue to deteriorate. Pasquale and Nadia come to visit Elena at Florence. Lila sends her son Gennaro to spend the summer with Elena and her family.

Elena visits Naples and to her dismay finds out her family is in attached to the Solaras. Pietro meets Elena's Naples acquaintances. Lila works for Michele Solara.

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.

Nino stays at Elena and Pietro's home. While Elena and Pietro grow farther apart, Elena and Nino get closer together. Elena publishes a new book. Lila gives Elena bad news from the neighborhood.

Elena achieves literary success but worries about neglecting her children. Despite rebuffed attempts to reconcile, her friend Lila discloses a shocking truth about Nino, Elena's lover, forcing her to re-evaluate her choices.

Unable to forgive Nino's betrayal, Elena takes Dede and Elsa to stay in Milan with Mariarosa and Franco. Following a tragic event, Elena gives in and moves into Nino's place in Via Petrarca.

During a neighborhood visit, Elena tries reconciling with Immacolata, learning her mother is ill. Later, Elena and Lila, both pregnant, grow closer after returning from New York with Nino.

Elena and Lila spend time together, witnessing Lila's respect and Marcello's drug dangers. After an earthquake, they struggle to reunite with families as residents flee the city.

After her daughter is born, Elena is consumed with jealousy when Nino and Lila step in to take Immacolata to the hospital.

As Lila goes into labor, Alfonso confides in Elena while accompanying her to the clinic to visit Immacolata. After a tragic loss, Elena decides to focus on herself and takes refuge at Lila's, who finally reveals the truth about Nino.

Following Nino's betrayal, Lenu finds comfort in another man's arms and moves back into the old neighborhood. Elena learns that her new book is a success, but it lands her in the Solaras' cross-hairs.

After Elena discovers that Carmen is suing her for slander, she and Lila decide to work together on an exposé of the Solaras' affairs. But, Elena learns that her article may not be enough to put the brothers behind bars.

During Nino's overdue visit to see Imma, a sudden disappearance rocks the neighbourhood. Though the Solaras help organize a search, Enzo remains suspicious of their involvement, while Lila becomes consumed by her own conspiracies.

After learning that Pasquale and Nadia have been arrested, Lila informs Elena that Gennaro has run away, Elena tries to manage the crisis when she learns Elsa has gone with him. Years later, Lila manages to surprise her friend yet again.