During his absence, Luisa's daughter drowns in Lake of Lugano and she is almost driven mad. Franco returns home for a short time but Luisa reacts coldly towards him. During the Second Italian War of Independence Franco becomes a volunteer soldier in the fight against Austrian and again meets his wife by Lake Maggiore.
During Franco's time away, his daughter drowned in Lake Lugano, leading to Luisa's mental collapse. Upon his short visit home, Luisa showed a distant attitude towards him. Subsequently, during Italy's Second War of Independence, Franco participated as a volunteer soldier against Austrian forces and reencountered his wife by Lake Maggiore.