At the end of the 19th century in Cartagena, a river port in Colombia, Florentino Ariza falls in love at first sight of Fermina Daza. They secretly correspond and she eventually agrees to marry but her father discovers their relationship and sends her to distant relatives. When she returns some years later, Fermina agrees to marry Dr. Juvenal Urbino, her father's choice. Their fifty year marriage is marked by roughly equal amounts of love and anger. Fermina's marriage devastates Florentino, but his mother throws a willing widow into his bed and he discovers that sex is a very good pain reliever. He begins to number and describe each of his women, beginning with #1, the widow, and eventually has over 600 names and notes. He also decides to be as successful and rich as Dr. Urbino and, when the doctor dies suddenly, immediately renews his courtship of Fermina.

Producer Scott Steindorff spent over 3 years courting Gabriel García Márquez for the rights to the book telling him that he was Florentino and wouldn't give up until he got the rights.

Florentino Ariza:
Shoot me. There is no greater glory than to die for love.

Continuity: When the Widow Nazaret takes refuge in the Ariza home and has a drink with Florentino's mother, the mother reaches over as if to replace the cork in the decanter but doesn't do so; in the following reverse shot, the cork is in the decanter, but upon cutting back to the original angle it is again out.

Music by Shakira and Antonio Pinto
Lyrics by Shakira
Produced by Shakira
Co-produced by Pedro Aznar
Performed by Shakira