Based on the novel by Nick Tosches, it follows the story of the original manuscript for The Divine Comedy emerging in the clutches of a black-market smuggling ring in the dangerous underbelly of New York City, and weary scholar Nick is called by the mob to authenticate it.
Overwhelmed by temptation, Nick defies the mafia and steals the manuscript in a frenzied bid to have it all. He follows a dark and violent path from a metaphorical Hell into Paradise with his love Giulietta, while a parallel tale unfolds: the odyssey of Dante himself, a man who is trapped in a loveless marriage with Gemma and bolstered only by his mentorship under an austere intellectual. He escapes to Sicily and creates his greatest work, immortalizing his lost love, Beatrice.
Nick and Dante’s timelines weave separate paths, and yet the two men are inextricably linked — both lose themselves chasing love, beauty and the very promise of the divine.
