A lesbian and vicious countess seduces the wife of an English writer in a creative crisis, during the couple's stay at her luxurious villa.

Walter is HIV positive and is leading a promiscuis life in Rome. He does this so that he won’t infect his wife. Walter’s wife is also cheating on him. In a decidedly dull subplot, Walter’s father is a senator who wants to use his son’s illness to promote his own political career by calling for more AIDS research.