[2][1] It is directed by Giuseppe Patroni Griffi, who co-wrote the screenplay, and stars Charlotte Rampling as Annabella, Oliver Tobias as Giovanni, and Fabio Testi as Soranzo.

[1] In the city of Mantua, during the Italian Renaissance, Giovanni, the son of a propertied man, is sent to study abroad having never met his sister, Annabella, who is a couple of years younger than him.

Knowing that the world will condemn them, Giovanni leaves his father's villa, and Annabella accepts the marriage proposal of her suitor, the wealthy noble Soranzo.

Italian film critic Marco Giusti writes that Rampling undresses as much as she can, but that it is Fabio Testi's physique that is imposing: Always naked and often framed at the height of his buttocks, it is causing the spectators some embarrassment.

[1] The film received two Nastro d'Argento Award nominations; Best Cinematography (Vittorio Storaro) and Best Production Design (Mario Ceroli).