In April 1962, American actress Dee Moray arrives in Porto Vergogna, Italy, by boat as hotel proprietor Pasquale Tursi constructs a beach along the shore. Dee’s arrival fills Pasquale with ecstasy. He longs for Porto Vergogna (a fishing town whose name means “port of shame” in Italian) to become a tourist destination for Americans. However, tourists prefer to stay in larger, more picturesque towns in the area. Pasquale believes that Porto Vergogna’s lack of a beach is part of the reason why, so he spends his time trying to build one.

Pasquale owns The Hotel Adequate View, having inherited it from his late father, Carlo Tursi, who also dreamt making Porto Vergogna “a new kind of Italian resort” (5). The Hotel Adequate View is small; Pasquale, his mother Antonia, and his Aunt Valeria are the only residents. College-educated and raised to believe he is better than the local fishermen, Pasquale stands out from everyone in town. The fishermen take note of Pasquale’s eccentricities and think he is insane. Pasquale finds himself “himself inhabiting the vast, empty plateau where most people live, between boredom and contentment” (7).

Pasquale looks out at Dee as the boat reaches the pier and sees that she is unusually tall, thin, and blonde.