To investigate the life of Russian composer Pavel Sosnovsky, Andrei Gorchakov goes to Italy, where Sosnovsky resided before his suicide. Joining Gorchakov on his journey through Tuscany is his interpreter, Eugenia, who develops an interest in her client that is more than professional. Meanwhile, Gorchakov is beset by powerful feelings of homesickness as he wanders through the ruins of the countryside and meets a doomsaying mystic.