Character Relationship Map: Sole

Characters

• Lena (played by Sandra Drzymalska) — protagonist

  A seven-month pregnant woman who initiates a scheme to sell her unborn child. Initially self-centered and combative, she gradually forms a genuine emotional bond with Ermanno through their forced coha...

• Ermanno (played by Claudio Segaluscio) — protagonist

  Lena's partner who agrees to pose as the biological father to enable a fake adoption. Self-interested and argumentative at first, he undergoes significant personal growth as he and Lena share a life t...

• Fabio (played by Bruno Buzzi) — supporting

  Ermanno's uncle and a wealthy man struggling with infertility. He finances the illegal adoption scheme, treating the unborn child as a commodity to secure a family heir.

• Bianca (played by Barbara Ronchi) — supporting

  Fabio's wife and infertile partner. She participates in the transaction as the intended adoptive mother, driven by the longing for a child.

• Obstetrician (played by Vitaliano Trevisan) — supporting

  Medical professional attending to Lena's pregnancy. Represents the institutional framework that the characters attempt to exploit or navigate around.

• Giordano (played by Marco Felli) — supporting

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Fabio → Obstetrician (Professional Medical Arrangement) — Fabio relies on medical assessments to evaluate the unborn child.

  Fabio tells Lena that she will undergo medical tests before receiving money, and the Obstetrician later conducts the pregnancy examination and testing...

• Lena → Obstetrician (Professional Patient And Doctor) — The Obstetrician provides medical validation for the pregnancy arrangement.

  The Obstetrician examines Lena, confirms that the pregnancy is progressing well, identifies the baby as a girl, and arranges further genetic testing.

• Bianca → Lena (Family Intended Adoptive Mother) — Bianca is positioned to become the baby's foster mother through the scheme.

  Bianca participates in the arrangement because she and Fabio cannot have children and intend to take responsibility for Lena's baby.

• Fabio → Lena (Power Financial Patron) — Fabio controls much of Lena's financial dependence within the arrangement.

  Fabio explains that Lena will receive money if the medical tests are satisfactory. He later offers to pay her so she can leave.

• Ermanno → Fabio (Family Uncle And Nephew) — Their family connection enables Ermanno's participation in the adoption scheme.

  The character profile identifies Fabio as Ermanno's uncle. Ermanno is also involved in Fabio's plan to arrange recognition of the child.

• Lena → Ermanno (Romantic Partner) — Their relationship combines romance, dependence, conflict, and gradual emotional attachment.

  The character profile identifies Ermanno as Lena's partner. The plot also shows them sharing the pregnancy arrangement and facing its consequences tog...

• Fabio → Bianca (Family Spouses) — They jointly pursue parenthood through the illegal foster arrangement.

  The plot states that Fabio and Bianca cannot have children and intend to take responsibility for Lena's baby. Bianca's profile identifies her as Fabio...

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Lena → Giordano (Conflict Hostile Encounter) — Their brief interaction exposes public condemnation of Lena's decision.

  Lena meets Giordano at a party and is insulted for supposedly selling her baby.

Story Analysis

A pregnant woman's financial arrangement to surrender her child gradually becomes an emotionally and institutionally constructed family.

Plot Progression

1. A Transaction Before Birth — Lena arrives in Italy pregnant and is taken into Fabio and Bianca's home. The adults establish a money-based arrangement tied to medical approval and future foster care.
2. Proof of a Healthy Child — Medical examinations confirm that the pregnancy is progressing well and that the baby is a girl. Genetic testing shows no abnormalities, strengthening the planned transaction.
3. Isolation and Public Judgment — Lena becomes increasingly dependent, while Fabio objects to her movements and spending. Payment disputes, a casino visit, and Giordano's insult expose the social and emotional cost of the arrangement.
4. The Fragile Premature Birth — Lena enters labor early, and the baby is placed in intensive care because of a respiratory problem. The child's improvement and the demand for breastfeeding complicate the purely financial arrangement...
5. A Family Constructed After Disappearance — Lena struggles with infant care and then disappears after further conflict with Fabio. Fabio and Bianca present a rehearsed account to Social Services and complete their foster request.