In the beautiful village of Vernazza, the Mazzone family have transformed an old convent overlooking the glamorous Italian Riviera into the elegant Lemon Tree Hotel. For Chiara, her daughter Elene and her granddaughter Isabella, the smooth running of their hotel is the driving force in their lives. But for how long can this continue? Chiara's husband Alonzo spends most of his time working away and Elene's marriage is equally rocky. Tensions between Chiara and Elene are at breaking point and it seems everyone in the family has a different idea about what kind of hotel it should be. One day, two unexpected guests check in. The first, Dante Rossi, is a face from Chiara's past. Elene quickly realises that her mother and Dante are connected by a close bond. What exactly happened between them all those years ago? Meanwhile, Isabella is preoccupied with the second guest, a mysterious young man who seems to know a lot about the history of the old convent and the people who live here. Although drawn to him, Isabella is determined to find out his true intentions and discover the secret past of the Lemon Tree Hotel.