in social interactions and has an unhealthy tendency to cut himself. Alice and Mattia form an unusual friendship: each of them carries on with their own lives; however they return to look for one another. They continue to "date" even after high school. Both attend a university, where Mattia studies mathematics, and where Alice drops-out to pursue her passion for photography. When Alice's mother Fernanda is hospitalized for cancer treatment, Alice meets Fabio Rovelli, a young doctor who takes an interest in her. Mattia, meanwhile, completes his degree and receives an offer to teach at a university in Northern Europe (probably in Norway). While he is debating whether to leave Italy and take the job, Mattia finally tells Alice about Michela, and the two kiss for the first time. However, an argument between them convinces Mattia that leaving is the right decision. Later, Fernanda dies and Alice marries Fabio, while Mattia lives alone abroad. The marriage between Fabio and Alice gradually disintegrates. Fabio wants a child, but Alice, who hasn't menstruated for years because of anorexia, cannot get pregnant and refuses to change her eating habits. The couple separates and Alice falls into depression. Elsewhere, Mattia is a successful mathematics professor at his foreign university. He and Alberto, a colleague and fellow Italian, make an important discovery regarding algebraic topology. When celebrating at Alberto's house, Mattia meets Alberto's friend Nadia, and spends the night with her. Back in Italy, the photographer employing Alice insists on driving her to the hospital to get help for her depression. While there, she encounters an apparently a disabled woman who looks a lot like Mattia, and Alice wonders if it could be Michela. She writes to Mattia, urging him to come home without telling him why. Mattia accepts the invitation and returns to Italy. Alice, now unsure about what she saw, avoids telling him why she asked him to come. The two friends spend an afternoon together during which she kisses him and realizes that she's still in love with him. In spite of this, they both realize they cannot overcome the walls that separate them. Secondary characters Soledad Galienas – the Della Roccas' Ecuadorian maid. She shows a maternal affection towards Alice, who does not always reciprocate and blackmails Soledad to get a tattoo without her parents' permission. Viola Bai – a rich and popular girl who, despite her cruel behavior, becomes Alice's