In post WW2 Venice Italy, American Army Col. Richard Cantwell, haunted by the war, faces news of his illness with stoic disregard. Determined to spend a weekend in quiet solitude, he commandeers a military driver to visit his old haunts in Venice. As Cantwell's plans begin to unravel, a chance encounter with a remarkable young woman begins to rekindle hope. Based on the harrowing novel by Ernest Hemingway.

A handwritten manuscript of Dante Alighieri's poem "The Divine Comedy" makes its way from a priest to a mob boss in New York City, where it is taken by author Nick Tosches after he's asked to verify its authenticity.