The events take place in 1348. The Black Death has hit the major cities of Italy hard. Several nobles from Florence decide to take refuge with their servants in a luxurious villa in an Italian village and wait out the epidemic, surrounding themselves with luxury and comfort. But as social norms change, what begins as a leisurely and carefree pastime in the hills of Tuscany gradually becomes a struggle for survival. The characters must learn to live in rapidly changing conditions.