Maria, Antonia and Carolina manage to escape and, on their long journey, get a lift to Milan from Domenico Bernasca, the owner of the inn "La mano di ferro". Once in town, however, they have to accept that Antonia has lost the role she obtained from the audition in Naples and are forced to ask for help from Domenico himself, who offers board and lodging in his tavern in exchange for their work. Maria, meanwhile, seeks help for Antonia from the famous singing master Crescenzi and the tenor Giacomo Lotti. Carolina, on the other hand, goes to a scribe, the young intellectual Enrico De Marchi, to have a letter written and get in touch with Saverio.