THE STORY
“Wit” Winthrop Devonshire of Kent struggles to write a novel while his girlfriend, Francesca Thropshire, pens songs she hopes to record. They decide to escape depressing, rainy, “one-note” Cotswolds in England for Capri one summer. Wit thinks his novel’s secret lies in hearing the sirens, seeing himself as Odysseus, a plot he hopes to modernize for his novel. Francesca dreams about meeting celebrities who will sing her songs and help her sign a recording contract.
Capri is the summer home
of entertainment legends.
Before they leave England, Francesca finds a job on Capri as an au pair for an Italian couple, Angelo and Gabriella d’Angelo, who have two teenage children, Giuseppe and Alessi.
When Wit and Francesca arrive at Capri’s Piazzetta, they meet Giovanni Follisando, the owner of a caffè/trattoria, who offers his philosophy on life drawn from university studies in philosophy and personal experience. A Stoic, a skeptic, and a romantic, he draws from Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, and Seneca. He offers Francesca Saturday nights at his caffè/trattoria to perform.
They also meet Fuchsia Bellagamba, the aging drag star from London, who hopes to make a comeback even though he is in his 60s. Fuchsia also performs at Giovanni’s place. Fuchsia wants to find a lover, an Italian man.
An American pop star, “Cal” Chelsea, arrives. He’s looking for inspiration to write new songs. Sales of his recordings have fallen. Concert venues are no longer interested. Cal initially doesn’t think Francesca’s songs will become his new hits, but he feigns interest in her work to seduce her.
Cal has failed at love his entire life—the theme of his most popular songs. He seeks help from Fuchsia to lure Francesca. Fuchsia does it with the hope that Cal will help him relaunch his career.
Cal meets Wit by chance at Giovanni’s. He tells Wit he met a woman. Wit tells him how to seduce her, not knowing that the woman is his girlfriend, Francesca. He asks Wit to write lyrics for him. Wit tells Francesca. She is jealous. Their relationship is strained. Wit and Francesca scheme to give Cal her songs with Wit’s name as the author. Cal loves the lyrics and tinkers with the melodies. He is enthusiastic that these will be big hits.
Meanwhile, Angelo befriends Wit and they race across Capri on his antique Bugatti sports car. Angelo feels the love between him and his wife Gabriella has vanished.
Wit discovers Cal’s plot to seduce Francesca and is furious.
Wit and Francesca struggle over whether they should stay indefinitely or return immediately to the Cotswolds. They decide to return home on the date they planned, believing that Capri is only special when you visit for a short time, that living there full-time would ruin its appeal.
Everyone is striving—the writer to find his voice as a storyteller and produce a novel; his girlfriend’s efforts to sell her songs; the American singer’s search for new material to rebuild his fame; Fuchsia’s efforts to restart a career and find love; the Italian owners of the chocolate/apéro factory to rid themselves of their boredom/unhappiness; and, Giovanni’s search for truth/meaning in life, inspired by the Stoics.
Enchantment awaits.