Ivan is desperate for employment. One day his search takes him to a nearby island, where he finds himself stranded, penniless and unable to make his way back home to the dingy apartment he shares with his ailing father. Help arrives, almost magically, in the form of a mute young woman. Martina has retreated into silence. She lives with a middle-aged priest recently impaired by a stroke. Don Enzo is proud and independent, his gruffness a sign of his resentment at being fussed over by a sister whom he suspects has ulterior motives. Enzo believes his caretaker has her eye on a piece of land used to house his beloved bees - and she is certainly disapproving of the bohemian life­style he has adopted by befriending strays like Ivan and Martina. Meanwhile, as Ivan spends more time on Enzo's property, he becomes intrigued by the mysterious young woman who seeks solace with the bees but refuses to say a word.