Since childhood, Wylie Rose has been drawn to the charming, close-knit Bonet siblings, especially Cesca, a girl blessed with incandescent beauty and a wild, irrepressible spirit. His friendship with her brother, Aurelio, a budding painter of singular talent, brings him near Cesca's circle. Amused by Wylie's youthful sensuality and trusting innocence, Cesca toys with his devotion, drawing him closer to her fire, ultimately ruining him for any other woman. As we follow their tempestuous, heart-wrenching affair, we discover the devastating depths of human passion and the nature of true love.