The film portrays the corrupt administration of an Apulia town during the Fascist Regime of 1937, after it has learned, in a roundabout way, of a pending anonymous visit of a government inspector from Rome. The inspector will determine if the administration adhered to the government's strict guidelines for economic and social planning.
The threat of the inspection creates terror in the administrators, who fear their misdeeds will be revealed. Most fearful are those guilty of enriching themselves from public funds, and other abuses. They resort to pathetic staged measures to make it appear that they remained "honest administrators" and "good fascists".
An unsuspecting insurer also coming from Rome, Omero Battifiori, arrives in town for his work and he is mistaken for the inspector. He is made the object of every honour and, of course, he is utterly deceived. Eventually, the real inspector arrives.