The novel opens at Villa Floriano, a picturesque retreat on the narrow river Aco in Lombardy, where Peter Marchdale has just arrived. While enjoying his coffee in the garden, Peter is interrupted by a striking young woman who addresses him from the opposite bank and introduces herself as his landlady. He soon discovers that she is the widowed Duchessa di Santangiolo, owner of the nearby Castel Ventirose. For years, Peter has secretly worshipped her from afar, having first caught sight of her in Paris.
As days pass, Peter haunts the riverside and village streets, hoping for another glimpse of the Duchessa, while she remains pleasantly amused by his eccentricities. Their paths cross again when they mutually rescue two destitute children walking to Turin, a moment that deepens their connection through shared compassion and reveals the Duchessa's deep-rooted piety and warmth. Throughout these encounters, Peter engages the Duchessa in witty, philosophical debates about human nature, optimism, and cynicism, all while concealing his authorship of A Man of Words, a novel inspired entirely by her.
The plot thickens with the arrival of the Duchessa's uncle, the witty and benevolent Cardinal Udeschini, who adds a layer of ecclesiastical grace and intellectual sparring to the setting. As argument and plot develop, Peter finds himself increasingly torn between his profound love for the great lady and his belief that social barriers make his passion hopeless. The narrative reaches its emotional climax when Peter confesses his long-standing devotion, only to discover that the Duchessa has long recognized her own reflection in his work. The tale gently hints at a harmonious resolution, uniting the Englishman and the duchess in a shared understanding beneath the Italian sun.
