A Farewell to Arms
(Ernest Hemingway)

A Lieutenant in the Italian Army, Frederic Henry, is American driving an ambulance in Italy during World War I. He soon meets a young woman named Catherine who was dating a friend of his but soon Henry and Catherine begin a romance with one another. Henry is injured while in battle, and he is brought to a hospital in Milan, where he learns that he needs to have surgery, but the recovery process will be at least six months. Henry decides he does not wish to wait that long and recruits a surgeon by the name of Dr. Valentini who is willing to do the operation straight away. As Henry is recovering from his operation he finds out that Catherine has been transferred to Milan and will be aiding him in his recuperation process, much to his joy.

The relationship between Henry and Catherine, which started out casual and flirtatious, has now become a full-blown love affair, filled with genuine, loving emotions. Henry is granted a three week leave while he is recovering, during which he wishes to go on a trip with Catherine, who has just informed him that she is pregnant. Unfortunately, Henry is diagnosed with jaundice which Miss Van Campen believes he has acquired purposefully to receive leave time, and she revokes his leave and sends him to the front. When Henry arrives at the front, a bombardment begins which results in many men being killed and officers being captured, though Henry narrowly escapes by jumping into the river and swimming for his life. When Henry gets back to Milan and meets Catherine in Stresa, the two flee to Switzerland to get away from the war and have a life together.

One morning Catherine goes into a labor that is filled with complications and ends up giving birth to a stillborn son. Later that night Catherine also dies, of a hemorrhage. Henry is lost without Catherine and tries to say goodbye to her, though he cannot and finds himself walking to his hotel alone in the rain.