An unnamed first-person narrator questions whether they can "do it," without disclosing what “it” refers to. The narrator introduces the titular character in the story, Salvatore. The narrator has known Salvatore since he was a young teen. He describes Salvatore during his adolescence as a good-natured, skinny young man who wasn't particularly attractive but didn't seem to care. Instead, he spent his days happily swimming, laughing, and enjoying being in nature. Although he had little to worry about in life, Salvatore did help to take care of his two younger brothers, who also loved to play outside and swim in the ocean. Their father was a hard-working fisherman, and their lifestyle was described as "frugal."

Salvatore grows up and falls in love with a beautiful girl from the Grande Marina, a busy fishing port on the island of Capri in Italy. They agree to marry, but the law requires Salvatore to serve in the military first. He enlists and leaves the island for the first time in his life to serve in the navy, crying as he departs because he so loves his home. On his trip, Salvatore realizes that his home landscape feels like a part of his body. He misses his fiancée most, and he writes to her regularly to profess his undying love as he travels to several areas of Italy and then to China where he becomes sick. Salvatore spends months in a Chinese hospital before being discharged from the service because he has developed a permanent illness. Salvatore receives the news happily, ignoring the fact that he has contracted a life-long disease, too excited that he will soon be returning home to his family and fiancée.

When Salvatore returns home, his family meets his boat at the beach, and Salvatore searches the crowds for his fiancée, whom he does not see. Everyone is happy to see him, but Salvatore is preoccupied with his missing fiancée. He asks his parents where she is, and they tell him they have not seen her in a few weeks. That evening, he walks to her home to find her sitting on the front steps with her mother. He asks if she received his letter with the happy news that he was returning. The girl says that she and her parents received the letter, but they also heard rumors that he would never be well again. Salvatore admits the doctors said he had an illness, but he explains that he believes that being home is all he needs to be well. The girl tells him that she and her parents have decided that she cannot marry a man who is ill. Salvatore returns to his family to find that they knew that the girl was planning to break up with him, but they did not want to hurt his feelings with the news, so they did not tell him.

Although the breakup devastates Salvatore, he never blames the girl for her choice or his unhappiness. Instead, he accepts that women must choose husbands who can support them. He goes to work with his father, fishing and tending the family vineyard. He looks sad, but he never complains about his circumstances. A few months after the breakup, Salvatore's mother says a young woman named Assunta wants to marry him. Assunta has some money so she can purchase a boat for Salvatore, and they could live at a nearby vineyard that recently became available. Salvatore's first response is that Assunta is unattractive, but his mother tells him that Assunta saw him and fell in love with him. This news interests Salvatore. He goes to church where he can see her for himself. Salvatore never takes back his negative description of Assunta, but he agrees to marry her. They wed and move into a small white house on a vineyard.

Salvatore grows into a burly strong man, but he still retains the gentle smile and kind eyes he had when he was a child. Assunta adores Salvatore, and she strongly dislikes the girl who broke off her engagement with Salvatore because she hurt him so deeply. However, Salvatore defends his ex-fiancée, saying he holds no ill-will toward the woman. Assunta and Salvatore have two sons and their life together is difficult at times. Salvatore must work hard fishing all night so seafood can be ready for the morning boats that buy it. Sometimes the illness that struck him during his military service makes work too painful, and he spends those days on the beach, having friendly conversations despite his physical pain. Tourists who visit the beach on those days assume Salvatore is lazy.

When his two sons are small, Salvatore often takes them to the beach and bathes them in the sea. The narrator recalls being struck by the fact that Salvatore had grown into a muscular, intimidating man, but he still handled his children so delicately. He clearly found real joy in the simple interactions with his sons. In the final paragraph, the narrator references back to the first line of the story, reminding readers that at the start, he wondered if he could “do it." He explains that the goal was to write a story about an ordinary man who possessed only one outstanding quality—goodness—and still make the story interesting to readers. The narrator wonders why such an unremarkable man would have been blessed with such a rare quality and confesses he does not know. He also observes that most people would feel uncomfortable around someone so good, but Salvatore's unpretentious nature makes him likeable.

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