Olivier Martinez plays Angelo, an exceptionally gallant, Italian soldier hiding out from his Austrian enemies in rural France -- just when a cholera epidemic is sweeping the countryside. But instead of rejecting him, a comely countess (Juliette Binoche) takes him in. Angelo swears his unyielding protection to her as she searches for her missing husband. The spark between Binoche and Martinez is real, as they became off-screen lovers and parents.