A love story that lasted half a century. In Cartagena, Colombia, in the late 19th century, telegraph operator Florentino Ariza (Javier Bardem) fell in love with Fermina Daza (Giovanna Mezzogiorno), the daughter of a wealthy businessman. He moved Fermina Daza's heart with his passionate love letters, and the two quickly fell in love. However, due to the disparity in status, Fermina Daza had to succumb to her father and left Cartagena. In the eyes of the young Fermina Daza, their love was just an illusion of youth. A few years later, Fermina Daza married Dr. Juvenal Urbino (Benjamin Bratt), a doctor she liked, under the arrangement of her father. During the cholera period, a doctor husband could not only bring a good life, but also a strong guarantee of life. Fermina Daza gradually forgot what happened back then. But Florentino Ariza has not forgotten. He was a young boy with nothing back then, but he inherited his uncle's estate and became a wealthy ship merchant. He has experienced different women, but he can never forget Fermina Daza in his heart. All he can do is wait, wait for the day of reunion. Even though more than 50 years have passed, his feelings for her are still the same as before.