It is 1943 in the Italian town of Adano, which is now occupied by the Americans. The citizens of the town wished that Major Jopollo and his men had arrived two weeks earlier before the fascists had taken the town bell. The bell is greatly missed by the town, as the bell was the center of the town it regulated and gave meaning to life in the town.

The fighting was now over in the town and Major Japollo wanted the people to be fed and the filth to be cleared, he wanted to gain the confidence of the people and for them to know that the Americans only wanted to bring good to the town.

Host: Drama critic John Chapman

Based on the novel by: John Hersey (Pulitzer prize winner 1945)