Joe is an Englishman raising his family in the United States. One day as his wife is driving their daughters home, she becomes momentarily distracted. Disaster strikes. Left in a fog of grief, Joe decides to accept a position teaching in Italy. He hopes the change of setting will help to pull both him and his daughters from the limbo of their bereavement. Like many teenagers, Kelly is sullen at home. In Europe, however, she is suddenly awakened to new possibilities, and strikes up a secret romance with an Italian boy. Her younger sister Mary feels the death of their mother most acutely; in fact, the tragedy may have followed them to Italy. As he tries to keep a handle on his daughters, Joe navigates the new demands of an old friendship with a university colleague. Meanwhile, the family is surrounded by Genova's gorgeous jumble of medieval, Renaissance and contemporary influences.