Theo, a gay man from New York City, travels to Positano for a summer vacation after a breakup with his boyfriend. He hoped to avoid his friends in Provincetown and spend quiet time in Italy incognito. While on the Amalfi Coast, Theo, who has an Italian father but was raised in France, overhears the conversation of two criminals plotting a terrible crime. When he goes to the local station to report it, he discovers that the police sergeant is also the appetizing man occupying the sunbed next to him on the beach.

During a stakeout to catch the suspects, Theo and Raffaello fall under each other's spell. Theo struggles to overcome his alienation from all things Italian, and Raffaello wrestles with same-sex desires he thought he had buried years ago. Their relationship unfolds but reaches an impasse in the face of hostility from Raffaello's colleagues and father-in-law. Through a mysterious twist of fate, Theo returns to Positano a year later only to find that his history with Raffaello remains unresolved despite an intense and precipitous relationship with another Italian man he meets on the beach.

Amidst a troubling backdrop of crime and intrigue, the fast-paced plot celebrates the scenery, traditions, and sensuality of the Italian coast and its power to mend hearts and inspire love.