When our protagonist - a young, directionless man from the American Midwest - arrives at Villa Coco, he thinks he's been hired to catalogue the contents of the beautiful, crumbling mansion nestled in the green Tuscan hills. But soon he discovers that the owner of the villa - the formidable Baronessa - seems more interested in organising wild escapades with her menagerie of old friends than in getting to work on the archive.

But as summer turns into autumn and the Italian countryside begins to work its magic, the secrets of Villa Coco and its inhabitants are slowly brought to light - and with them, an unforgettable story of the enduring power of friendship.