During World War II, legions of Italian soldiers invade the island of Cephallonia, Greece. Pelagia (Penelope Cruz), an educated and strong-willed woman, is forced to share her fatherÂ’s home with the newly arrived captain Antonio Corelli (Nicolas Cage), an officer with an irrepressibly jovial personality. While at first offended by the Italian soldierÂ’s behavior, Pelagia slowly warms to his certain charms. When PelagiaÂ’s fiancee heads off to war, the friendship between Antonio and Pelagia grows even stronger. Upon MusolliniÂ’s surrender to the Allies, Antonio decides to join the Greek partisans in resisting the Germans. Although he promises heÂ’ll return to her when itÂ’s over, the two lovers both fear they will never see each other again.