The film is set in World War II, during the occupation of the Italian troops on the Greek island of Kefalonia.
Nicolas Cage plays Antonio Corelli, the Italian captain of the company destined for the garrison of the small Greek island of the Aegean Sea. There, Corelli you will enjoy the peaceful life on the island and the love of a local woman, Pelagia (Penelope Cruz), who hesitates between the Italian and her old boyfriend, Mandras (Christian bale), who fights with the partisans.
The life of the soldiers is idyllic on the island until, in 1943, the fascist government fell and the Germans ordered the Italians to lay down their arms before leaving Kefalonia.
As the Italian commander refuses to comply with the German order, a battle ensues between the German and Italian garrisons that will end with a massacre of Italian prisoners.