In 14th-century Florence, a group of young women and men are fleeing the city to the countryside in the hope of escaping the Black Plague decimating the population. As a way of distracting themselves from the tragedy, they tell one another stories, one each day, most of which center around the theme of forbidden love. From the ribald tale of illicit goings on in a convent to the amusingly ironic chronicle of a painter who believes he is invisible.