During World War II in Tuscany, Ulysses Temper and Evelyn Skinner meet. Temper is a young English soldier-bright and handsome with a heart of gold. Evelyn is a middle-aged gay British art historian. About 10 years after the war, Ulysses inherits an apartment in Florence that he turns into a thriving pension. Evelyn continues visiting Florence drawn to its beauty, food and art work. They have never forgotten each other, but their paths never seem to cross until . . .

Although Evelyn and Ulysses are the main characters in Still Life, there are a number of memorable secondary characters as well, including a perceptive, very verbal parrot. Except for a diversion at the end of the novel, Still Life is a warm-hearted feel good novel that portrays Florence as heaven on earth.