Genova

The death of Joe's wife in a car accident triggers a life-changing decision. Grieving, he accepts a professorship teaching English literature at a university in Genova, Italy. He moves with his two daughters to start fresh and keep their family intact.

The trio settles into a crowded Genova flat and begins to adjust to life in a foreign city. They take day trips to the beach and hire an Italian tutor in musical composition to explore their shared interests. Slowly, Genova starts to feel like a new home.

Kelly, now 16, falls for a local Italian teenage boy and begins dating him in secret. She hides the relationship from her father, seeking independence while adjusting to life in Genova.

Mary, 10, remains haunted by her mother's death and grapples with guilt over being involved in the accident. She clings to her father for support as she tries to reconcile the memory with the present. The trauma shadows their daily life in Genova.

Barbara, Joe's former Harvard colleague, re-enters his life as a translator and helper but begins to intrude into the family's private space. Joe tries to balance single parenting with the pull of an old flame, torn between past and present. The dynamic adds tension to their days in Genova.

In Joe's literature class, a brash and idealistic Italian student makes her romantic interest known. Joe faces a dilemma between professional boundaries and personal attraction. The classroom becomes a place where desire and duty collide in Genova.

Joe agrees to a lunch date with the Italian student, effectively spurning Barbara. The choice marks a shift in his romantic life and strains his relationships at work and home. Barbara's presence in their lives grows more complicated as a result.

Kelly fights with her Italian boyfriend and is forced to hitch a ride home from the beach. The incident underscores the volatility of teen relationships abroad. Joe watches with a mix of concern and distance as his daughter navigates romance in a foreign city.

Mary is left to walk home alone due to Kelly's tardiness and ends up following an apparition of her late mother across a busy intersection. The eerie moment triggers a car crash and Mary is almost killed. The episode intensifies Mary's guilt and the family's vulnerability.

Barbara's closeness to the family grows, pushing into private moments and decision-making. Joe struggles to maintain boundaries while protecting his daughters' emotional wellbeing. The tension between professional respect and personal desire runs through Genova.

Joe's choices regarding his romantic life begin to affect his role as a parent and professor. He weighs his re-emerging feelings for the Italian student against his responsibilities at home. The mounting tension tests the family's resilience in Genova.

The film closes with Kelly and Mary starting at a local Italian secondary school, signaling a new chapter for the family in Genova. The sisters adjust to their new routines with hope and resilience as Joe supports them. The move marks the start of a lasting life in Italy.