Valeria is walking out of her job teaching piano lessons at the Conservatory in Cincinnati one day when a coworker approaches her. His name is Vittorio Donato and he teaches violin in the studio next to hers. He has heard her playing and asks if she would like to play a duet sometime soon. Valeria is unimpressed by him but tells him that would be fine, and heads home to her apartment with her twin sister, Hallie. Hallie is several years younger than Valeria and lost her hearing after having scarlet fever when she was fourteen. Hallie and Valeria are very close, but Hallie's life is much more subdued and solitary than Valeria's, who has already been married and widowed and is constantly having new and strange things happen to her. Valeria tells Hallie about Vittorio's introduction and his "uneducated," casual way of talking. The two laugh at his attempt to "pick up" Valeria. Despite her earlier teasing, Valeria does play a duet with Vittorio that goes well. They plan to meet every morning thereafter. He asks her out to lunch and she says yes. They talk to each other about their families, and he asks to meet Hallie. He comes over that evening and Valeria is very nervous. The night is a bit awkward and after he leaves, Hallie tells Valeria he is not the type of person her mother and father would have approved of, which Valeria already knew and felt concerned about. However, she learns to move past this and realizes that she has a lovely time with Vittorio and wants to be with him. The next day Vittorio comes into Valeria's office for their regular duet and kisses her as soon as he walks in. Valeria is happy knowing that she has chosen what makes her happiest over what her mother expects of her.