During Margaret and Clara’s mother-daughter trip to Florence, Clara’s hat drifts across the piazza and is caught by a charming Italian, Fabrizio Naccarelli. Clara and Fabrizio are instantly smitten, but Margaret quickly pulls Clara away to the Uffizi Gallery. As Clara marvels at the art, Fabrizio appears, eager to arrange a meeting, but Margaret intervenes again. 

When they leave, Fabrizio expresses his love for Clara and fears she may not feel the same. He pleads with his father, Signor Naccarelli, and his brother, Giuseppe, for help in winning Clara over; Giuseppe teaches Fabrizio to dance. 

Later, Fabrizio and Signor Naccarelli visit Margaret and Clara. Signor Naccarelli tries to soften Margaret’s resistance to their budding romance. They all agree to take a sunset walk to admire the city from Piazzale Michelangelo. 

The Naccarellis invite the ladies for tea. Giuseppe’s wife, Franca, warns Clara how love can stall. Clara charms the Naccarellis, but Margaret remains hesitant. She believes Fabrizio’s love is genuine, but she is hiding a secret about Clara. Before leaving, Clara secretly arranges to meet Fabrizio at midnight. 

Margaret calls her husband, Roy, and tells him about Clara’s new love. Margaret yearns for guidance, but Roy is brusque and dismissive. As Margaret reflects on her loneliness, she checks Clara’s room and finds her missing. 

Clara has snuck out to go meet Fabrizio, but she quickly gets lost in the dark streets of Florence and becomes extremely upset. Margaret finds her and brings her back to the hotel. As Clara sleeps, Margaret reveals the secret: a childhood accident that stunted Clara’s intellectual development. 

At the hotel bar, Margaret considers taking Clara away from Florence to distract her. Fabrizio arrives at the hotel. Though he initially struggles to express his feelings, he proposes with Clara’s encouragement, and she accepts. They embrace passionately just as Margaret returns. 

Margaret takes Clara to Rome, away from Fabrizio. The Naccarellis are in chaos: Fabrizio is heartbroken, and his family is torn between sympathy and curiosity. Despite Margaret’s efforts to distract Clara, she refuses to give up Fabrizio. Their intense argument peaks when Margaret slaps Clara. Clara’s emotions surge as she struggles with her deep love for Fabrizio, finally convincing Margaret to set aside her doubts. They return to Florence for the wedding. 

Clara prepares to convert to Catholicism while the Naccarellis sing of the young love around them. Franca tries to make Giuseppe jealous by kissing her brother-in-law, Fabrizio. Clara witnesses this and angrily throws a drink at Franca, who then praises her for standing up for Fabrizio and toasts the upcoming wedding. 

As Clara and Fabrizio are completing their marriage license, Signor Naccarelli halts the proceedings. The Naccarellis leave abruptly, leaving Clara confused. Margaret fears that the Naccarellis have discovered the secret of Clara’s childhood accident, even as she comforts Clara and vows to ensure her daughter’s happiness. 

Margaret learns that Signor Naccarelli canceled the wedding not because of Clara’s condition but because of her age — he saw her write “26” on the marriage license and believes she is too old for the 20-year-old Fabrizio. Relief floods Margaret as she realizes Signor Naccarelli doesn’t know the whole truth. She pleads with him to change his mind. As the two parents walk through Florence together, Signor Naccarelli reconsiders and shares a tender moment with Margaret before agreeing to the wedding. 

When Margaret calls Roy to share the news, he insists that Clara can’t marry. Margaret argues that Clara deserves a full life despite her differences. Clara is eavesdropping at the door and learns of her disability for the first time in her life. Stunned, she slips away through Florence to meet Fabrizio. She doesn’t want to disappoint Fabrizio by marrying him, but he gently reassures her. 

At the church, everyone gathers for the wedding. Clara tells Margaret she can’t leave her; Margaret assures her she can and sends her to the altar. Alone, Margaret finally releases all her own fears about love and joins Clara and Fabrizio’s wedding celebration.