La Vita e Bella begins with the sound of wind and the words: "This is a simple story but not an easy one to tell. Like a fable, there is sorrow. And, like a fable, it is full of wonder and happiness."

Switching to Arezzo, Italy, in 1939, a man is telling a story to his passenger. Their brakes go out and they begin careening across fields. They come back on the road behind two motorcycles and come upon a town. The town believes that they are royalty, so when the royalty actually arrives, the guests are disappointed at the reception. At a nearby house, Guido introduces himself as Prince Guido and tells the young girl a great story. A woman, whom he begins to call "princess," falls out of the top of the barn, and he catches her on top of the hay. She...