Two penniless Italian buskers want to go to the USA but get on the wrong ship and end up in South America in a concentration camp where they are rescued by American parachutists from. Afterwards they become big shots in the States but their dream comes to an end : they are sent to fight in Vietnam—Salvatore Santangelo <[email protected]>
Franco and Ciccio Impallomeni (Franco Franchi and Ciccio Ingrassia) are two Sicilian street entertainers who find it hard to make money among the peasant workers of their home town. So, they decide to emigrate to America hoping to make their fortune. After stowing away on the wrong boat, they find themselves in an immigration camp in New Quiracio, the capital city of the Republic of Santa Prisca, a South American country under the control of a brutal dictator named General Jose Limar (Roberto Camardiel). Franco and Ciccio swiftly make enemies of the military controllers of the camp who can't wait to get rid of them.
General Limar's regime is supported by to some extent by the USA, which has business interests in the region. At the same time, Santa Prisca is currently embroiled in a bitter civil war: guerrilla attacks are being mounted by rebels ("baffudos") and rebel women ("sbarbados") who are operating from hidden training camps in the countryside. Limar wants American military support, but a US ambassador (Umberto D'Orsi) sent to the region declares that American troops will only attack the rebels if they are being attacked first. General Limar arranges a subterfuge to inveigle the Americans into helping him: two prisoners will be taken from the immigration camp, disguised as American paratroopers, and dropped behind enemy lines into a rebel encampment. When the "baffudos" kill or abuse them, it will coax the Americans into retaliation. To this end, Franco and Ciccio are dressed up and parachuted into the rebel camp where they are immediately captured.
Alvardo Garcia (Luis Pena) the rebel officer in charge of the camp and the rebel unit staying there, orders the immediate execution of the two paras by hanging, but after the intervention of a gang of female rebels, Franco and Ciccio are saved. Franco explains to the rebels that they are not Americans but in fact Sicilians. Realizing that the two Italian-speaking idiots are part of a plan to inflame American feeling, the rebels mount an attack on the town where the immigration camp is located, but the US ambassador has already sent American paratroopers into the area. A gun battle breaks out between the rebels and Americans: Garcia sends Franco and Ciccio to explain to the US soldiers, but instead get themselves "rescued".
Back at the American military base, Colonel Smith (Emilio Rodriguez), the American officer in charge of the US brigade of paratroopers, realizes that Franco and Ciccio are not Americans because they have no dog-tags, and quickly puts them in the custody of General Limar, who quizzes them for information about the rebels, but they refuse to talk. Before General Limar can torture Franco and Ciccio for answers, the interrogation is terminated when rebels burst in, led by Garcia. They overpower Limar and stage a coup.
Garcia swiftly proves as power-mad and ruthless as his predecessor and series of counter-revolution and counter-counter-revolutions follow all over Santa Prisca. When the US ambassador (now safely back in Washington DC), sends Americans troops to restore General Lima to power, a mix-up results in Franco and CIccio being anointed as the new rulers of Santa Prisca. Finally after much foolishness, the rebel women, lead by Consuelo (Linda Sini) take control and impose an all-female dictatorship.
Seeing that the situation is getting out of control, Franco and Ciccio decide to leave the country and head for America. Disguised once again as American paratroopers, they board an American military transport plane, believing that they are at last on their way to the United States, only to discover that they are headed to Vietnam to fight in the ongoing war there.
