Rome 1923: In accordance to Benito Mussolini's plans, Italy, the moral heir of the Roman Empire, must play a leading role in the Mediterranean basin. Inevitably, the Duce’s interests turn to Albania, a country rich in mines and oil fields but also a privileged access to the Balkan world. Luigi Maria Ugolini, a young archaeologist from Bertinoro officially sent in order to direct the Italian Archaeological Mission in Albania, finds himself unwillingly involved in the great " Balkan game”. In a historical phase in which Albania is seen as a primary strategic target, even archaeology can become a weapon of penetration, an instrument for propaganda and an ideological mean to favourite the annexation of the "country of eagles". Among political intrigues and financial difficulties Luigi Maria Ugolini, considered by the most a pioneer of modern archaeology, will bring back to light, the site of Phoinike and the extraordinary city of Butrint, tied to the myth of Aenea and called the “Albanian Pompei” which is now protected by U.N.E.S.C.O. as a masterpiece of mankind.