When Domenico meets Filumena Marturano in Naples during World War II, he is instantly smitten. Flash forward to the postwar years, and the two meet again, sparking a passionate affair that spans two decades. But when Filumena — who has now become Domenico's kept woman and has secretly borne his children — learns that her lover plans to wed another, she will stop at nothing to hook him into marrying her instead.