Tuscany, circa 1927.
To seal a lucrative deal, Gianni Lucci hands his playboy son, Stefano, an ultimatum: marry my Brazilian partner's daughter or be banished. Heartbroken over a perceived rejection by his first love, Ilaria, the penniless Stefano abandons all and sails off to America.
30 years later, he's married to Anna with two kids. Stefano's longtime financial troubles are amplified when Anna gets pregnant yet again. Seizing on this golden opportunity, Gianni fakes a deathly illness to lure Stefano back to Italy and claim his inheritance. Stefano's mother, Alda, joins the fray with a devious plot of her own.
Things get more complicated when the newly widowed Ilaria accidentally stumbles into Stefano. Her father, Claudio, fearing that his daughter's will be caught up in Gianni's scam, attempts to kidnap Stefano and boot him back to America. Ilaria is perfectly happy with seducing her long lost love, Stefano.
Stefano is sorely tempted by both Ilaria and his family's riches. If he stays, the Lucci fortune will not only allow him to support his American family, but also rekindle with his first love Ilaria. If he goes back, he can foresee only a life of financial uncertainty.
In a final gripping emotional confrontation, all the smoldering passions, deceitful relations, double-dealings, and cunning schemers succumb to A SWEETHEART DEAL thus ending this passionate, captivating tale.
