It's Florence, Italy, 1348, and the Black Death has ravaged the city.

Whole fami
lies have died. Neighborhoods are empty. Chaos reigns and the routines of daily
life have been abandoned. In the church of Santa Maria Novella, a group of seven
young gentlewomen gather to pray and discuss their sad life, hoping to find som
e way of alleviating their suffering. The oldest of the group, Pampinea, hits on
a solution: road trip.
It seems like a good idea to get out of a city filled with contagion. There's no
thing to do but watch the bodies pile up and hear the news about who died. Plus,
it's dangerous to stay somewhere where all social and moral controls are gone a
nd people are succumbing to "carnal pleasures." Better to leave for the country
and enjoy the beauty of nature where the houses are far enough apart that you're
not watching your neighbors die every time you look out the window. The prevail
ing medical advice at the time suggested that healthy air and a cheerful frame o
f mind could decrease your chances of catching the deadly disease.
But the ladies are afraid of traveling alone. After
d fickle, and without a man in charge they won't be
ortune is kind in that moment and sends three young
to the church. The ladies seize the opportunity and
r posse (brigata in Italian) ready to go.

all, women are irrational an

able to get anything done. F
men of their acquaintance in
the young men and they have thei

They don't have to travel far to escape the horrors of the city, and in about tw
o miles they reach a lovely palace where they've arranged to stay. It has all th
e amenities: ample living space, servants, beautiful gardens, nature everywhere
in the form of singing birdies, gentle breezes and clear flowing water. Once the
y arrive, they realize that all kinds of mischief might happen if they get bored
, so they invent a storytelling game to occupy their time. They set the rules, c
hoose a "Queen" to rule them for the first day, and the structure of their two-w
eek stay is set in motion.
The ten young people spend the next two weeks (except for four days of religious
observances) telling one story per day each on a chosen theme. Each day has a n
ew king or queen that chooses the theme and makes arrangements for their meals a
nd entertainment. It's the regimen of storytelling, they say, that refreshes the
m and keeps them on the straight and narrow path while they're away from the cit
y, so that no one will gossip about them.