Martha, an American lady who has lived in Italy for many years without ever learning the language; and Renato, twenty five years younger than Martha, who for all his life has been working odd jobs and has no place to call home. Martha's home is a house in Tuscany she has inherited from her grandfather. There she lived and brought up her children after an early divorce. Martha, who at times suffers from a sudden loss of memory, and her obsession with the large country home, has become a nuisance ...