The Unraveling of Julia

After dark, Julia walks to the well. There is a full moon in Scorpio. Julia sets her flashlight and Piero’s gun on the edge of the well. Then, she takes out photos of Rossi and Patrizia, as well as Patrizia’s hair and places them on the edge of the well. Julia doesn’t feel the electric tingle when she touches anything. She keeps her hand on the objects, closes her eyes, and tries to “Allow deeper” (316). Falling to her knees, Julia prays that Rossi will tell her why she brought Julia to Italy and will help Gianluca.

Suddenly, Julia hears a twig snap and Bianco starts barking. She sees a shadow move through a thicket. Julia reaches for the gun, but knocks it into the well. She grabs Bianco and runs toward the villa while yelling Courtney’s name.

Courney and Julia barricade themselves in Rossi’s bedroom with Bianco. Julia is upset that she lost the gun and left the pictures and hair behind. Courtney has collected some steak knives for them and they put them under their pillows when they lie down in the bed. Pretending to sleep, they whisper, avoiding being heard by any microphones. Courtney wishes they could go to the police. Julia says they need to continue visiting schools. Courtney gets a work email and has to leave the day after tomorrow. Julia is glad that she’ll be out of reach of the conspiracy. Courtney asks Julia to come with her, but Julia refuses.

In the morning, Julia and Courtney retrieve the photographs and hair from the well. The hospital tells Julia that Gianluca is still in intensive care over the phone. Courtney works on her laptop while Julia drives to the elementary schools. They visit three, without any luck.

On their way to a fourth school, Julia notices a police cruiser subtly tailing them. She tries to lose it, but its lights and siren come on, signaling for her to pull over. The cops make Julia and Courtney get out of the car. One cop pretends to pat down Julia, but gropes her. The other does the same with Courtney. They tell the women to get back in the car and wait.

The cops turn off the siren and make Julia and Courtney wait for 20 minutes. Then, the taller cop demands Julia give him money, saying she was speeding and needs to pay the fine. He uses racist and sexist descriptors for Courtney, who is Black. Julia and Courtney give him all the euros they have on hand. The cop tells them to leave, using sexist language, and goes back to the cruiser. It speeds off, and Courtney begs Julia to leave the country. Julia refuses and yells that she’s not going to be scared off into the car’s bug.

Courtney and Julia drop off the Ferrari with a mechanic and arrange to use a cab to get to the rest of the schools. At the Montessori Scuola di Moravia, a teacher named Giovanna talks about the parent of one of the students, Adamo Bucci, whose portrait is hanging in the office. When Julia takes off her sunglasses, Giovanna exclaims that Julia looks just like another teacher. Julia admits that she’s looking for her birth mother. Giovanna takes Julia’s hand and tells her to come along.

Giovanna and other teachers gather around Julia, saying she must be related to Fiamma, who teaches fourth grade, and that she took students to the hospital for a field trip. Fiamma has left for the day because she has an art opening. Giovanna gives Julia the address of the opening in Florence and encourages her to go. One of the teachers calls Fiamma for Julia, but Fiamma doesn’t answer. The other teachers encourage Julia to go to the opening.

In the cab, Julia and Courtney are thrilled that Julia’s vision led to her birth mother. Julia worries that Fiamma won’t want to meet her, and is impressed that she has an art show. Courtney notes that Julia’s art skills must come from Fiamma. Julia thanks Courtney for her help in this journey. When Julia tries to research online for information about the school Fiamma works at, she gets information about Romagna Group, which helps fund the school. The Romagna Group includes international corporations and is developing a new hospitality complex for €700 million.

Julia realizes she saw the group’s leader, Adamo Bucci, with Franco. Courtney happened to take a picture of the two men having lunch before Julia guided them away the other day. They remember Giovanna saying that Bucci is considering investing in Moravia or Croce. Julia wonders if Bucci and his group want to develop the land she owns in Croce. Courtney notes that Franco was only going to get Julia €2 million for the villa when it’s worth much more with a development planned for €700 million.

The conspiracy is trying to make sure the hospitality complex comes into being, creates more jobs, and boosts the economy of Croce. Gianluca didn’t want Julia to sell, which led to the conspiracy attempting to murder him. Courtney asks if Julia has a will, and she admits she doesn’t. If she dies, the land goes to the government and sits in probate, which would delay the development. They prefer her to sell, but could kill her and bribe officials to get the property out of probate. The conspiracy killed Mike because Julia’s inheritance would have gone to him if Julia died. Julia angrily vows to get the “bastards” in the conspiracy. She says they should go to the Florence police and call the Philadelphia police, after she meets Fiamma.

When they get to the gallery, Estrella Studio, Julia isn’t sure if they should go into the exhibit. Courtney encourages Julia to go inside, even if she doesn’t talk to Fiamma. Julia puts on her sunglasses to avoid being recognized by Fiamma and goes inside. Fiamma’s last name is Settimi and her exhibit is watercolors of an orphanage called the Spedale degli Innocenti. Courtney thinks this subject matter means Fiamma has been thinking about giving up Julia.

The gallery owner, Paolo, introduces Fiamma as one of the best watercolor artists he’s exhibited. The event is in English because there are British guests. Fiamma gets in front of the crowd and Julia sees their resemblance right away, especially their blue eyes. Fiamma talks about imagining the emotions of the children in the orphanage. Her favorite pieces were of the objects like charms that nannies pinned in orphan’s clothes. Fiamma begins to focus on Julia. She discusses the sexist education at the orphanage, as well as Florence’s roots in the Renaissance. Then, Fiamma discusses Caterina being a favorite of her mother’s.

Julia takes off her sunglasses. Fiamma looks flustered and Julia feels a connection between them. Other people in the audience notice Fiamma staring and turn to look at Julia. Fiamma continues her speech, connecting how only royal women like Caterina were privileged. The orphans came from women who couldn’t financially support a child. Then, Fiamma walks through the audience until she is in front of Julia.

Fiamma asks who Julia is, and Julia says she’s Fiamma’s daughter. They walk outside and Fiamma starts to ask questions. The white Fiat driver and the man who killed Mike walk toward Julia and Fiamma. Julia tells Fiamma to call the police and pushes her back into the gallery. Julia starts running and calling for help. No one is out on the street. Businesses are closed. A car speeds past her when she tries to flag it down. She slips into Boboli Gardens, which are closed, alerts Courtney of her location using a phone app, and pulls a steak knife out of her purse.

The men following her split up, and the Fiat driver runs into her, knocking her to the ground. She slashes his face and ear with the knife. This allows her to escape, but she struggles to keep running. The man in a hoodie is coming up behind her as she runs toward a sculpture. She picks up a rock and hears sirens approaching. Hoodie grabs her hair and pulls her to the ground. He straddles her, punches her, and pulls out the hunting knife he used to kill Mike.

Julia has a premonition that Hoodie won’t kill her if she fights back. A blue aura appears around her and she shoves Hoodie off of her. Then, fueled by the blue light, she grabs his arm and whips him into the sculpture. As the police arrive, the blue aura dematerializes. Courtney and Fiamma arrive shortly after the police. The three women hug.

In the police station, Commando Provinciale, Julia gives a statement to Marshal Vernio. She tells him everything that’s happened and her theory about the Romagna Group. Vernio says the Fiat driver is named Bernardo Vitali and the man in the hoodie is Ciro Nardini. They are both known criminals. Vernio reports that Julia fractured Ciro’s skull and broke his collarbone. Julia is glad he’s in pain. Vernio says they are looking for the man in the black ballcap and the police will question Torti, Franco, Anna, and Piero, as well as Adamo Bucci.

In the morning, Vernio will talk with Malloy about Mike being murdered by Ciro. He will be tried in Italy first, then in America. Vernio will send a police car with Julia to watch the villa overnight. Courtney asks if it’s okay that she will leave the country in the morning. Both Vernio and Julia confirm that she’s welcome to leave.

Vernio struggles to believe that the blue ghost of Caterina helped Julia fight Ciro. Julia explains that she’s a medium and to contact Helen Davenport, who’s worked with the police on investigations. Vernio convinces her to lie and amend her statement saying Ciro fell to avoid press and attention.

Fiamma agrees to meet Julia and Courtney at the villa after Julia gives her statement. On the way to the villa, Julia calls the hospital and checks on Gianluca’s condition, which hasn’t changed. She thanks Courtney, who offers to stay another day. Julia rejects this offer politely. Courtney compliments Julia and explains that Fiamma was the one who made sure the cops arrived when they did. Julia still worries that Fiamma is helping her out of guilt, not love. Courtney holds her hand.

Julia opens a bottle of Chianti as Fiamma arrives. The officers allow Fiamma to enter, and she is shocked by the state of the villa, saying it used to be beautiful. Julia defends the villa. Fiamma looks at the hole in the wall leading to the tunnel and cell. She can’t forget being put in there for a few days each month. Rossi would stay with her in the cell sometimes, but not for the whole night. When she’s introduced to the dog, Fiamma says Rossi named all her dogs Bianco.

As they drink wine, Julia apologizes for crashing Fiamma’s art opening. Fiamma says there’s nothing to forgive and is glad Julia found her; Fiamma dreamed of their meeting and had a premonition before the gallery opening that something wonderful was going to happen. She’s never made peace with giving Julia up for adoption, even though she couldn’t afford to raise her. At 17, Fiamma ran away from the villa and got pregnant with her boyfriend in Padua. His name is Roberto Colapinto, and he is from Tuscany.

Julia offers to share her inheritance with Fiamma, but Fiamma doesn’t want Rossi’s money. Fiamma believes that they are related to Caterina, but doesn’t act snobbish about it, as Rossi did. Fiamma cares more about the future than the past and, as an artist, cares about creating herself. Rossi used her money to keep track of Julia over the years, and possibly donated to the adoption agency to make sure Julia went to a good home. Julia thinks Rossi set up the inheritance so Julia would meet Fiamma.

Fiamma thinks Rossi locked her in the cell because she was possessive. Julia takes out the contents of the go-bag and explains that Fiamma’s father abused Rossi and Fiamma. Looking at the Patrizia passport, Fiamma says she was named Felicia Rossi, but changed her name to Fiamma Settimi after she ran away. Fiamma feels guilty for thinking her mother was a monster when she was just trying to protect Fiamma from their abuser. Julia apologizes and comforts Fiamma.

Julia struggles to sleep, worried about Gianluca and excited about meeting Fiamma. She gets up to watch the sun rise over the vineyard and it brings tears to her eyes. A form appears in the light and becomes Mike. She hears his voice, telling her he loves her forever, and she says it back. Mike rematerializes as Gianluca, and Gianluca opens his eyes.

The co-conspirators turn on each other when questioned by the police. Anna and Piero reveal that Franco paid them to drug and gaslight Julia. Franco implicated Maksim Tsarovich from the Romagna Group, who worked without Adamo Bucci’s knowledge or approval. Ciro and Bernardo reveal that Torti paid them, and Torti implicates the officers who harassed Julia and Courtney. The man in the black ballcap turns out to be Tomasso Lino and Torti implicates him as the one who drove the van that ran Gianluca off the road. Eleven co-conspirators in total are imprisoned.

Two years later, Ciro is tried in Philadelphia for Mike’s murder. Mike’s father died and his mother went into Alzheimer’s care before the trial started. In the interim, Julia has been doing therapy over video chat and meeting with Helen. Gianluca woke up from his coma and recovered, slowly, but hasn’t returned to work yet. He is still in physical therapy during the trial and sits with Julia during the reading of the verdict. Ciro is convicted of murder in the first degree. Julia and Gianluca hug; Julia feels like there is finally justice for Mike’s murder.

Julia and Gianluca are married and Julia is pregnant. Julia connects with her birth father, and they enjoy spending time together. Gianluca’s family accepts Julia.

In the nursery, Gianluca, Fiamma, Sherry, and Tonio paint an unconventional family tree mural, including adoptive family alongside biological family. Julia goes into labor a week early and everyone stops painting to help her get to the hospital. The baby’s astrological sign is Leo and Julia decides to name her Melanie Pritzker Moretti. Julia feels like she has finally found a family.