The life of freshly divorced San Francisco writer Frances Mayes is about to take an unexpected but much needed upturn. Trying to shake Frances out of her lethargy and post - breakup funk, her friend Patti offers Frances a gift that she hopes will do the trick: a ten day trip to Tuscany, in the heart of Italy. And right here, under the Tuscan sun, the unlikeliest thing happens: Frances impulsively buys a run - down villa named "Bramasole" - Literally, "something that yearns for the sun" - and in so doing plunges hereself into a brand new life. As she embraces the local ways and devotes hereself to the restoration of her new home, Frances finds hereself close bonds with the people around her and slowly rediscovering the pleasures of laughter, friendship and romance. Even as she stumbles forward on her uncertain journey, one thing becomes clear: in life, there are second chances.