Francesco Dellamorte is the caretaker of a small Italian cemetery in the town of Buffalora. Aside from his duties of maintaining the graves, he has a unique and dangerous responsibility: dealing with the "Returners," corpses that inexplicably rise from their graves seven days after being buried. Francesco's daily life revolves around eliminating these undead threats to maintain peace in the cemetery. He is assisted by his loyal but dim-witted friend, Gnaghi, who helps him in this grim task. Their mundane routine is interrupted when Francesco falls for a beautiful widow who comes to mourn her late husband, igniting a series of emotionally tumultuous events.

As Francesco's relationship with the widow develops, he becomes increasingly troubled by philosophical questions about life, death, and his own existence. His growing obsession leads him to question the very fabric of reality, blurring the lines between the living and the dead. Amidst this turmoil, the frequency and intensity of the Returners' resurrections increase, pushing Francesco to the brink of his sanity. His internal and external battles ultimately force him to confront the true nature of the world around him, leading to a series of shocking and surreal revelations that change his life forever.