26岁的瓦莱丽亚是个保守而孤独的女孩。她在都灵做翻译员，生活平淡，除了一个她暗恋的男子马西莫。马西莫搬去罗马后，她决心也跟着他离开都灵。一路上，她得知马西莫的女朋友弗拉维娅，而一次意外使得两个女孩变得亲近。很快，瓦莱丽亚了解到马西莫和弗拉维娅这对完美情侣的形象原来是虚假的。马西莫转而向她示爱，而她却婉拒好意，专心投入到自己的小说创作中，追寻另一段无疾而终的恋情……Valeria is a 26-yr-old inhibited and solitary girl. She lives in Turin, Italy, where she works as a simultaneous translator. There are no romantic relationships in her life, but she allows herself one almost ritualistic attachment: that of observing Massimo, a man in his forties who lives in the apartment across the street from her, totally unaware of her. Occasionally, they have a few fleeting encounters - Valeria happens to translate for Massimo at a conference - and eventually something starts growing between them. When Massimo moves to Rome, Valeria's existence falls apart. On a sudden impulse, she decides to leave Turin and follow him there. In Rome, Valeria soon finds out that Massimo has another woman - Flavia. Valeria causes an "accidental meeting" with her and a certain immediate sympathy between the two women develops, along with a strange mutual curiosity. Nonetheless, their "friendship" is based on subtle betrayals and lies. Flavia in fact uses Valeria's fragile introversion as a catalyst for the novel she is writing about her late husband. She was close to building up an emotional life with Massimo but now she chooses to go on working on the novel about her dead husband. For Valeria, on the other hand, the older woman becomes the only desperate link between her and the man she is falling in love with. And Massimo finally decides to follow his own romantic dream with Valeria. But Valeria is unable to face a real relationship...
