Successful doctor Timoteo (Castellitto) is shocked to discover that his fifteen-year-old daughter has been in a life-threatening motorcycle accident. As a fellow surgeon performs a dangerous procedure on her brain, Timoteo recalls a passionate affair he had before his daughter was born. He met the woman, Italia (Cruz), when his car broke down on the outskirts of the city. After an initial first encounter that resulted in Timoteo's brutally raping the hapless Italia, he found himself shunning his beautiful wife Elsa (Claudia Gerini) and returning to visit Italia more and more frequently. What began as a dark, shameful outlet for his disgust with his bourgeois existence grew to become a genuine love that would change Timoteo's--and Italia's--life forever.