Set in 1816, a band of European misfits (one of whom bears a striking resemblance to the writer Stendhal) hide and collide in an Alpine villa during the eponymous summer-less summer of 1816 with salonnière Matilda Dembowski presiding over the mischief. Through games, stories, and philosophical conversations, and with the help of a ridiculous cast of characters pulled from history and farce, the recently separated Matilda tries to determine her uncertain future.