"La Vita Nuova" ("The New Life") tells the story of Dante's eternal love for Beatrice, from their first meeting at a May Day party, through Dante's suffering and his efforts to hide the true object of his devotion.

The narration includes his overwhelming grief at her death, and culminates in her transformative vision in paradise and Dante's decision not to speak of Beatrice again until he can say "what has never been said about any other woman"...