Across the River and into the Trees is a 1950 novel by Ernest Hemingway. The story follows Colonel Richard Cantwell, a decorated American military officer, as he confronts his mortality in the Italian city of Venice. Across the River and into the Trees was a bestseller but received a negative critical reception, particularly in comparison to Hemingway’s earlier works. It explores themes of The Impact of War on Identity, Masculinity and Authority Under the Pressure of Physical Decline, and Coming to Terms with Mortality and Illness.

This guide uses the 1966 Penguin Books edition of the novel.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of illness, mental illness, death, death by suicide, graphic violence, sexual content, sexual harassment, rape, addiction, cursing, gender discrimination, and substance use.

Plot Summary

The novel begins with Colonel Richard Cantwell, who is elderly and has a heart condition, on a duck hunt in the Marano Lagoon near Venice, Italy. On the hunt, the colonel is angry with his boatman, who is hostile and less than proficient, but he displays great satisfaction in himself when he bags two ducks. He refuses to allow the boatman’s attitude to ruin his experience.

The narrative then returns to a point several days earlier as the colonel arrived in Venice. He was driven around Italy by a young American soldier named Jackson. As they drove, he pointed out to Jackson the various spots that he recognized from his time in Italy during World War II. He had once been a general but had been demoted to his current rank of colonel. The colonel also recalled his much younger days in World War I, when he had fought as part of the Italian Royal Army. He described his past in curt, direct terms with Jackson, who respected the older man and tried to follow his orders.

Now 50 years old, the colonel was returning to Venice in the expectation that his heart condition would soon cause his death. As they approached the lagoon surrounding Venice, the colonel organized a boat to take them to the Gritti Hotel, his favored destination. He spoke a mix of English, Italian, and occasionally Spanish to the locals. The colonel won the favor of the pilot of his hired boat by offering to source a more powerful replacement engine for the boat’s faltering engine. At the Gritti, the employees welcomed him. The bartender and the head waiter spoke to him with familiarity and affection. They joked about their membership in the Order, an informal hierarchical organization.

After checking into the hotel and dismissing Jackson with an order to have fun and relax, the colonel set about his social activities. He inquired with the head waiter, whom he called gran maestro, about the current visitors to the hotel and the old Venetian aristocracy who could be found in the bars around the city, such as the famous Harry’s. In particular, he wanted to reunite with his lover, an 18-year-old Venetian named Countess Renata from a wealthy, storied local family. They had known each other for several years, beginning their relationship when she was 17. Waiting in the hotel, the colonel thought about his experiences and his injuries. He had been shot several times and lost some function in one of his hands.

The colonel reunited with Renata, who was delighted to see him; they quickly resumed their romantic relationship. They sat in the bar, drinking together—though the colonel knew doing so was not advisable, given his medical condition—and joking with the gran maestro. Meanwhile, Renata pleaded with the colonel to share stories from his past. Hesitantly, fearing that he would bore her, he told her about the battles that he had fought during World War II, particularly the campaign to retake Paris from the Germans. The colonel was frank about his respect for his fellow officers but scathing about many members of the Allied high command, including thinly veiled criticisms of Eisenhower and Montgomery. He was, however, willing to praise German commanders such as Rommel and Udet.

The colonel and Renata spent three days together in Venice. They drank and dined together, with the colonel satisfying his refined taste. They spent time together in his room, consummating their romance. Renata arranged for a portrait to be sent to the colonel’s room. The portrait of her, made when she was 17, sat in the colonel’s room while she was away, and he found himself addressing the portrait in her stead. Renata also offered the colonel a selection of her expensive jewelry, but he insisted that he could not accept it. He did carry her emeralds with him for some time, but he insisted that they be returned to her eventually. They passed by shops and gazed into the windows, discussing what they might buy and planning a future together. They talked about marriage and children, even though they were both aware that the colonel’s medical condition made such a future seemingly impossible. During this time, the colonel began to refer to Renata as “Daughter.”

Meanwhile, the colonel told Renata more about his experiences in the war. He described storming the beaches of Normandy and marching through the streets of Paris. He recalled one particularly brutal incident in which his men had been slaughtered due to bad orders from their commanders. He had felt obliged to follow these orders despite knowing that his men would die. Seeing Renata also led the colonel to remember their early courtship. He recalled two American sailors who had catcalled Renata as he was strolling through Venice with her. Seeking to teach these men a lesson, the colonel had confronted them, knocking both men down despite knowing that he would likely be demoted from general for this outburst. He had been satisfied nonetheless.

On the final day, the colonel arranged to leave Venice and join the duck hunt. The narrative at this point returns to the point at which the novel began. The colonel refused Renata’s request to join the hunt, though he wishes that she were still with him as he sits in the cold hide overlooking the lake. After an unsuccessful day of shooting, the colonel returns to his friend, Alvarito, the organizer of the hunt. Alvarito reveals to the colonel that the hostile boatman does not like members of the Allied military because members of his family were attacked and raped by Moroccan soldiers during World War II. The colonel understands.

The colonel and Jackson begin their journey to Trieste. The colonel directs Jackson on where to drive, seemingly contradicting the usual route to the city. Earlier in the day, the colonel felt a pain in his heart. Though he has taken his medicine, he suspects that his life is at an end. He issues orders to Jackson about which road to take while scribbling a note about what should be done with his possessions. He feels three great pains in his heart as he lies down on the backseat of the car. As he does, he speaks to Jackson about the final words of Confederate States Army General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson. After the colonel dies in the car, Jackson reads the note and agrees that the colonel’s possessions will be returned to Renata, their rightful owner.