The novel tells the story of Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza, who fall in love when they are young, but Fermina eventually chooses to marry the respected doctor Juvenal Urbino.
Florentino never stops loving her and waits for more than 50 years, while having many other romantic relationships during that time. Fermina builds a long, stable marriage with Urbino.
After Urbino’s death, Florentino tries to win Fermina’s love again. At first she resists, but eventually they reconnect in old age.