A 36-year old widow and mother of two finds her way back to La Dolce Vita with the help of a gorgeous 25-year-old Italian immigrant, whose name just happens to be-Leonardo da Vinci.

A linguist and English teacher, Ramona Elise (who Leonardo calls his "Mona Lisa") knows she shouldn't take him home, but he has nowhere to live, and barely speaks English. She really feels she ought to help…

Together they experience their own renaissance, "awakening" to life and love. She helps him forge a new life in America, and he helps her to find joy again after grieving her beloved husband

Picking up the pieces of her life, Ramona can finally finish her dissertation on "The Language of Love" (fascinating excerpts of which are sprinkled throughout the book!) and find a way to honor her husband's memory, put to rest a suspicion that he had cheated on her just before he died, and finally move on to a new relationship…