In 1920's Italy, Alexander Luzhin (John Turturro) lacks both social status and finesse—but his genius for chess and his naïve ways capture the fancy of Natalia (Emily Watson), a beautiful Russian woman whose aristocratic parents are determined to marry her off to a wealthy man. At an international chess match in idyllic Lake Como, Luzhin and Natalia's sudden romance offers him a first glimpse of affection, something he has been denied in his bleak life. Meanwhile, Luzhin's former chess mentor surfaces - a man who had once exploited and abandoned him in pursuit of more promising talent. His manipulative ambitions and those of Natalia's family combine to threaten any chance of the couple's happiness.