Rosa is a young rebel girl who lives with her grandmother and her uncle in a remote part of Calabria, in Southernmost Italy. Her mother's untimely death when Rosa was a child casts a gloomy shadow on her present life.

Clara Goldstein is a lovely, middle-aged Jewish woman who, because of an impending visit from her American brother, is forced to create a contrived relationship with a man of her own faith. She places an ad in a personals column and meets Raul, a well-spoken, handsome and charming man whom she soon discovers is a Gentile and does not fulfill her reason for placing the ad. Having no alternative, Clara proceeds to instruct Raul with an intensive course in Judaism. Their journey is both humorous and captivating, but not without pitfalls. These two mature people risk a last chance at a meaningful relationship in their lives.