Two women rent an Italian villa to escape from their unfulfilling marriages.

At a Hempstead club for housewives, lonely and neglected Lotty Wilkins convinces husband-dominated Rose Arbuthnot to join her for a one-month holiday in Italy. Lotty, whose husband Mellersh, a former researcher at the British Library, became a popular romance novelist at her urging and then was transformed into a "ladies man," arranges with Rose to rent an Italian castle with two other English women for the month of April. When they arrive at San Salvatore, Lotty and Rose are surprised to discover that their co-renters, Lady Caroline Dester and Mrs. Phoebe Brockwell Templeton Fisher, have already moved in and have claimed the best rooms for themselves. Rose, whose husband Henry is a pompous London lawyer, is particularly disappointed to have her position as the castle hostess taken over by the dour and bossy Mrs. Fisher. In spite of the castle's primitive amenities and Mrs. Fisher's stuffiness, Lotty and Rose determine to enjoy themselves and write their husbands of their adventures. As Lotty, a self-proclaimed "seer," had predicted to Rose, Henry shows up at San Salvatore, but only seems to want to ingratiate himself with Lady Caroline and Mrs. Fisher. While Rose and Henry, whose demeanor softens in the romantic atmosphere of the castle, become re-acquainted, Mrs. Fisher also falls under San Salvatore's spell. To Lotty's joy, Mrs. Fisher extends a warm dinner invitation to artist Peppo Briggs, the castle's owner. Unknown to Lotty, however, Mellersh is looking for Lady Caroline, with whom he is infatuated, in London. When Mellersh hears that Lady Caroline, who knows him only by his "pen" name, is in Italy, he looks her up at the castle, unaware that Lotty is also there. Before he can put himself in a compromising situation, Lotty showers her husband with grateful kisses and professes her love. Overwhelmed by his wife's affections, Mellersh happily returns her love, while Mrs. Fisher allows Rose to act as hostess, and Lady Caroline warms to Briggs.