Romano, an aging Italian aboard a steamship, recounts his story of lost love to a Russian traveler. Flashbacks reveal his brief affair with a young Russian woman he met at a spa and pursued to Russia. The film is inspired by several short stories written by Anton Chekhov. Marcello Mastroianni won the award for best actor at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Academy Award for best actor in a leading role for his work in “Dark Eyes”.