Nicola, a policeman in Puglia, is a reformed ladies' man with his heart set on marrying the daughter of the Indian ambassador.

Penelope, a mother of three kids, gets tired by the infidelities of her husband and leaves him. She goes to live at her grandma's house, while he has to take care of the children. His interest is awakened when he finds love letters held by his wife, indicating a past love affair. She, on the other hand, tries to find her past lover, a Spanish painter, with whom she had a short love affair, only to discover that he is terminally ill.