Giselle, a young Chicagoan working at a museum, takes an opportunity to work at an art institute in Tivoli, Italy, outside of Rome. She meets the institute’s chief administrator, widower Alec Stahlberg, and soon to be wed Vickie Sapienti, the office manager. Vickie’s ceremony will be held on the institute’s grounds where a very old and majestic fountain is currently undergoing repairs to be operational for the celebration. Training to become Vickie’s replacement, Giselle finds Stahlberg possesses a charismatic mystique, but Bernardo Abbadelli, a charming and captivating artist with a reputation as a womanizer, moves fast for winning her affections. Stahlberg tries to discourage their courtship, but his words go unheeded. When Giselle begins to suspect Bernardo is a philanderer, she no longer wants to see him, but the persuasive painter is persistent. In the meanwhile, Alec and Giselle become drawn to each other, leaving her caught between receiving attention from these two men. Her attraction to Alec grows, but something’s holding him back, leaving her bewildered and downhearted for not knowing what stands in their way. When finally learning the obstacle, she must make perhaps the most important decision of her life.