When a rich widow, Lilia (Helen Mirren), visits Tuscany with her friend Caroline (Helena Bonham Carter), she falls in love with Gino (Giovanni Guidelli), a poor man. Lilia's former mother-in-law, Irma (Judy Davis), doesn't think the marriage is a suitable one, but she can't convince Lilia to return to England. When Lilia dies in childbirth, Irma sends her son, Philip (Rupert Graves), to bring the child back, but he encounters multiple obstacles, including his newfound infatuation with Italy.