Long haunted by the memory of a passionate love affair that ended in tragedy, Dr. Timoteo Rossi (Sergio Castellitto) is forced to confront his past when Angela, his teenage daughter, goes into a coma after a near fatal accident and he has time to weigh up the value of her life, and ultimately his. This spark leads us into his past affair with Italia (Penelope Cruz), a tender but damage soul who works as a hotel maid, and on whom Timoteo risks his marriage to Elsa, a beautiful journalist. Seemingly unaware of her husband's affair, Elsa lets Timoteo lead his double life, until that is, she gets pregnant and he has to make a choice, a decision that will break both his and Italia's hearts.