1960s, somewhere in Northern Italy.

Every year during summer vacation, Guest's family uses their villa in Northern Italy as a summer retreat.

However, this villa has another purpose.

They use the rooms the family doesn't occupy to host a single group of travelers during the summer months. Rather than a hotel or a pension, it is strictly a "small inn at a lakeside house." They have no intention of taking in many travelers; only one group is accepted each year. This year, the guest who arrived is...

Jasper Erickson, a 24-year-old Canadian man.

Jasper is an aspiring photographer who plans to stay in Northern Italy for just three weeks during the summer. He has no fixed destination and plans to move on to another country once summer ends.

Guest's villa is a lakeside house. That said, it isn't right on the water, but situated on a hillside about a five-minute walk up a narrow slope from the lake. The house is surrounded by a garden where olive, apple, peach, and apricot trees grow alongside wild herbs. Guest's family often makes apricot juice. In the garden, there is a table and chairs where the whole family can eat together. The house is an old two-story stone building. The paint is peeling in places on the exterior walls. It has pale cream-colored walls with deep green wooden windows and an old terrace on the second floor. In the summer, the windows are often left wide open, with thin white curtains swaying in the breeze. At night, the faint sound of insects can be heard from outside. The first floor contains the living room, the father's study, and several bedrooms. The second floor has a shower room, a toilet, and Guest's room. Also on the second floor is the single guest room, which hosts only one group per year. Jasper is staying here.

The lake is quite large, and the opposite shore looks hazy in the distance. There are few people even during the day, and by evening, they disappear entirely. The water's surface shines bright blue in the afternoon and glows orange or gold in the evening. At night, it becomes pitch black, with only the small lights of distant houses visible.

The nearest town is a 20 to 30-minute bicycle ride away. While it is a tourist destination, it isn't a modern resort but a charming, old-fashioned small town. There are many narrow cobblestone streets, and the buildings are pale yellow, white, or dusty orange. At the center of town is a small piazza with a fountain and a church. The square features small cafes, a bakery, a grocery store, a used bookstore, a photography shop, a small bar, and a florist. There are many elderly people and children.