SYNOPSIS:

Fanny is an internationally renowned painter whose husband, Frank, selfishly despairs over his own failed artistic career. One night while being feted in another city, Fanny hangs up on her bitter husband and ends up in her agent’s bed. The next morning she learns that Frank took his life, and destroyed hers in the process. Wracked by guilt, Fanny gives away her belongings, sells her home, abandons her art, and flies to Rome, not knowing where she’s going or what she’ll do. Then she meets Sophia, a sarcastic but loveable woman who invites Fanny to visit her home in Le Marche on the Italian Adriatic coast. In Le Marche Fanny finds an adorable coffee shop for sale, a beach calling her name, and perhaps a chance at a new life. So she buys the coffee shop and begins remodeling it with the help of Sophia’s Italian fashion sense and dry wit. Life is going well and seems to get even better when Fanny meets and falls for Bud, a handsome and romantic American expatriate financial advisor in Le Marche. Then Fanny discovers that Bud was a musical prodigy, a concert pianist who gave up his art to pursue wealth. Remembering how her husband threw his life away in despair over his lack of artistic talent, Fanny tries to steer Bud back to his art, which drives him away, Bud not wanting to be controlled, and Fanny not willing to be with another “failed” artist. Bud angrily reveals that he abandoned a brilliant business career in New York, gave most of his vast fortune to charity and moved to Le Marche to find peace, and to help locals and expats with their finances as his way to make a difference, not because he’s a “failed” pianist. He accuses her of trying to control his life because she’s too afraid to face her own, and he leaves. Fanny meets Shea, a beautiful, restless, bisexual former dancer restlessly seeking out new adventure. Fanny gently rejects Shea’s advances but accepts her friendship. Fanny’s friends in Le Marche convince her of her foolishness in driving Bud away, so she takes up her paintbrush for the first time since Frank’s suicide, paints a brilliant portrait of Bud and brings it to his home as a peace offering, only to find Shea has beaten her to Bud’s bed. Shocked and embarrassed, Fanny flees, leaving the painting behind. Shea seeks Fanny out and offers to share Bud with her. Fanny rejects the offer, but after getting drunk and spending the night with two of her own local lesbian friends, Fanny shows up at Bud and Shea’s door. In the middle of the night, Shea awakes to find Bud and Fanny cuddled together beside her, obviously meant to be together. In the morning, Bud and Fanny awake to find Shea gone, with a note declaring she’s off to find new loves, and a warning that if Bud and Fanny screw it up again, Shea will be back to kick their butts. Fanny promises to rededicate herself to her own art, and to allow Bud to live his own life. Bud promises to spend the rest of his life playing just for her.